


Adventures In Babysitting

by itskatbug



Category: Produce 101 (TV), X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Kindergarten & Pre-school, Alternate Universe - Parents, Baby Dohyon, Daycare Worker Hangyul, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Pining, Single Dad Seungyoun, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2019-11-21
Packaged: 2020-12-31 17:55:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 28,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21149819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itskatbug/pseuds/itskatbug
Summary: As a daycare worker, Hangyul isn't supposed to pick favorites. But that hasn't stopped him from falling for Dohyon, an adorably chubby-cheeked toddler in his class.(And, no, it has nothing to do with the fact that Hangyul has an embarrassing crush on the boy's father, Seungyoun.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this was supposed to be a fluffy one-shot, but it ended up taking a life of its own, so i decided to split it into three chapters.
> 
> i hope you enjoy it!

Fighting off exhaustion at the end of a work day is never a simple task. When the day starts at 8 and ends at 5:30, it can be hard to keep your eyes open as you're waiting to go home. Hangyul used to have that same problem, sleepiness catching up to him hours before he could leave. But since taking a job as a daycare teacher, he has come to learn that it’s a lot easier to stay awake when toddlers are constantly screaming at you for attention.

Every time his eyes slip shut, or his body begins to relax, he’s pulled away from it by one of his many kids who have something they want to show him. More often than not, the culprit is his favorite three-year-old, Dohyon. Technically, he’s not supposed to have favorites, but out of his class of twelve children, it’s undeniable that the youngest of the group has a special place in his heart. With his chubby cheeks, bright attitude, and an eagerness to learn, anyone who comes in contact with the kid is immediately wrapped up in his cuteness. Hangyul is no exception, especially not when the boy is currently yelling for him in the loudest voice he can muster.

“Teacher Gyul! Teacher, look it!”

It isn’t difficult to spot Dohyon on the playground. He's frantically waving his arm in the air from the sandbox, shouting for attention, but it isn't necessary. The rest of the playground is completely empty, aside from the other teacher for his class, Yohan, who is currently scrolling through his phone. They should have left nearly an hour ago, after the rush of parents coming to pick up their kids dwindled down, but it’s against the rules for them to leave until every student has gone home.

Unfortunately, it’s become a habit for them to sit around with little Dohyon for nearly an hour after school ends. Fortunately, Hangyul never really minds it.

“What’s up, buddy?” Hangyul crouches down next to the sandbox, raising his naturally deep voice two full octaves.

Dohyon smiles at him like the man’s attention is the best possible gift he could receive, and it makes his heart melt. He holds up a sandy hand to show off a little beetle that’s trying to escape his grasp. As if Hangyul might not understand what’s happening, he offers a simple explanation, “Bug!”

As a grown man, he has seen many a bug in his lifetime, but for the child’s sake, he doesn’t hesitate to play up his reaction, “Wow! You caught a bug! That’s so cool, Dohyon!”

Dohyon erupts in a fit of laughter, clearly pleased with the response he's given, before he puts the bug down in the sand and starts building a castle for it to live in.

The sound of giggling is loud enough to catch the attention of Yohan, who puts his phone away and makes his way over to the only other people in the area.

“I’m gonna head inside and clean up the room before we leave,” he tells his coworker, although his eyes are glued to the little kid. The tone he adapts is teasing, visibly fighting back a smirk, “Do you mind waiting out here alone for your daddy?”

If he thought he could get away with it, he would have smacked Yohan’s leg. Dohyon is barely paying attention to the two adults, too focused on digging a little moat around the castle, but Hangyul still keeps his voice peppy, “I don’t mind, but we’re waiting for _Dohyon’s_ daddy, remember?”

“Oh, silly me! I didn’t realize that there was a difference,” Yohan counters in an equally ridiculous voice. They sound like a pair of cartoon characters, which would be funny if they weren’t constantly bickering in high pitched voices. Right now, it’s just annoying. "You talk about him so much, it can be hard to tell sometimes."

Hangyul tenses, worried that Dohyon will repeat bits of this conversation later. That's one of the most frustrating parts of working with kids—their brains are sponges, soaking up everything they hear and committing it to memory, so he always needs to be careful with what he says. Dohyon happens to be one of the more advanced kids for his age; although his sentences are short and his words can be mispronounced, he has the memory of an elephant, and there's a good chance that he'll spit out everything he heard at school today when his dad shows up. They're treading on thin ice by discussing this right in front of the boy.

His eyes narrow at Yohan, threatening his friend without any verbal cues, “Don’t you have a classroom to clean?”

He seems to take the hint, raising his hands in surrender as he slowly backs away from the box, “Okay, okay, I’m going.” He isn’t a true monster, so he takes the time to wave goodbye to Dohyon, but as he retreats to the building, Hangyul swears he can hear him chuckling. A silent reminder is made to strangle the man later.

If it were any other subject, he wouldn’t have minded nearly as much, but being teased about the truth is always so much worse. Because, although he hates to admit it, one of the other reasons why he adores Dohyon so much is because he has the biggest, most embarrassing crush on the kid’s father, Seungyoun.

It's scandalous to like the parent of one of his students, but the man is only a few years older than him, so it feels a little more acceptable. If he had a crush on a thirty-year-old (like many of the other parents are), he would feel more shameful about it, but somehow Seungyoun manages to look even younger than he is. It's almost offensive how good he looks sometimes.

It's also practically impossible to not like the man. He has the kind of personality that reminds Hangyul of sunshine on a rainy day. No matter how tired he is at the end of the day, when Seungyoun shows up to pick up his son, Hangyul's exhaustion is wiped away. He's never seen the other without a bright smile plastered on his face. He's always making jokes to lighten the atmosphere, sticking around for conversation when none of the other parents even pretend to care. He makes Hangyul feel like an important part of his child's life, and treats him like a friend, rather than Dohyon's teacher. 

Hangyul has a theory that catching feelings for Seungyoun is just a natural side-effect that comes from interacting with him. He wouldn't be surprised to learn that he isn't the only person in the world harboring a hopeless crush on the single father.

“I’m so sorry I’m late!”

Speak of the devil and he doth appear. When Hangyul looks up to find the familiar voice’s owner, he spots Seungyoun jogging towards them from the parking lot. He's tugging his tie loose as he goes (which feels like a personal attack to Hangyul), clearly having rushed to the daycare directly after work.

The voice captures Dohyon's attention as well, immediately abandoning his architecture project to jump up and scream with glee, "Daddy's here!" This is his exact reaction every time his dad comes to pick him up, but it always makes Hangyul smile.

"Hey, baby," Seungyoun scoops up his son the moment he reaches them, peppering his chubby cheeks with kisses. This also happens every time he picks Dohyon up, but it always makes Hangyul swoon.

Watching the pair as a third party, he always feels like he's intruding on something special. Out of all the parents of all the kids, none of them ever seem as excited as Seungyoun to show up at the end of the day. He looks at the boy with so much love, it's impossible to ignore how close their bond is. It makes up for the fact that he has only shown up on time a handful of times in the seven or so months that Dohyon has been enrolled.

(Hangyul knows that it isn't his fault—he doesn't know exactly what the man's occupation is, but he's been told a few times that Seungyoun's boss is very demanding of his time. Some days, Seungyoun's mom will pick Dohyon up instead, and she always manages to show up on time. But Hangyul tends to like those days a little less.)

Today's excuse is no different. The smile he gives his son morphs into an apologetic one when he meets Hangyul's gaze, "I know, I'm the worst, but I wasn't able to leave until 6, and then there was _traffic_. I tried to get here as quickly as I could."

Hangyul gets it, he really does. In all honesty, he never actually minds staying an extra hour, waiting around for Seungyoun. Credit for that goes to both the father and son: Dohyon for entertaining him while he waits and Seungyoun for making his heart flutter when he shows up. He would probably be willing to wait around for two or three hours, as long as he gets to hold a conversation with the man at the end.

"Don't worry about it," he says it nonchalantly, but he really does mean it. "Dohyon built this awesome castle for a beetle while we waited, so it was worth it."

At the mention of his new bug friend, the boy starts squirming in Seungyoun's arms. He manages to whack his dad in the nose before he's finally set back down. A few seconds pass as he digs around in the sand, the two adults watching on in amusement, before he finds the insect, "Look!"

"Wow! Cool!" Seungyoun's reaction mirrors his own from earlier, and for some reason, that makes Hangyul happy.

Dohyon gently sets the bug back down, moving on to gesture at the lump of sand he made, "I make the castle, daddy!"

It's nothing more than a pile of sand with a circle dug out around it, but Seungyoun reacts like his son had created the Parthenon. He bends down to examine the sculpture, "Dohyon, this is so great! Look, you even made a moat."

"Yeah," Dohyon is smiling brightly, full of pride for his own creation, "for the gators!"

Seungyoun nods in understanding as he stands back up, "Of course. The alligators need a place to live."

This seems to please the little boy, who copies his father and nods as well.

"Thank you for always being so patient," the man turns to Hangyul this time. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. I know you want to go home on time, but you're constantly waiting around for me."

"I don't mind waiting for you, Seungyoun," Hangyul admits without thought. A blush rises in his cheeks at his own honesty, and he prays that the light chill outside hides it well. "I mean, it gives me extra time to hang out with my favorite kid, so it's worth it."

Seungyoun ducks his head, almost sheepish, "I bet you say that to all the parents."

"I don't have to. All the other parents show up on time," he jokes, sure to add in a grin just in case his humor doesn't transfer well.

Luckily, it does, and the other man lets out a beautiful laugh, "Alright, I get it. I'll try my best to avoid rush hour from now on."

A dumb voice in the back of his head says that Hangyul should tell him not to, selfishly hoping to hold onto these little conversations. It wouldn't be the same if he showed up on time; Hangyul rarely talks to the other parents for a few seconds, let alone a few minutes. Everyone is always in a rush, but when Seungyoun is already an hour late, he doesn't mind wasting a little more time on Hangyul. It makes their interactions feel a little more special.

"Honestly though, I really don't mind. You have a lot on your plate." He's feeling extra honest today, so he adds, "If I can help you out by staying here a little while longer, I'm happy to do it."

For some reason, Seungyoun looks genuinely touched by his words. He has no true evidence of it, but Hangyul has a feeling that the young dad doesn't have a lot of people offering to help him out. There's never been a wedding band on his finger (yes, he checked the first time they met), and aside from his mother, he's never given anyone else permission to pick Dohyon up.

Dohyon never really talks about anyone else either, stories about his homelife always revolving around his dad and his grandma. If he's doing this whole parenting thing on his own, it makes sense that he would be moved by an offer to help lighten his load.

And that's when Hangyul gets an idea.

"Actually, if you ever need help with anything, I would love to lend a hand," he suggests suddenly, sounding slightly unsure of his own words.

His main motivation for the offer is that he genuinely does want to help. It isn't like he has much responsibility outside of work; he can afford to lend some of his time to a struggling single father. But there's also a tiny, selfish part of him that really wants to give the man his number, just to give himself a greater chance to interact with Seungyoun outside of their daily conversations.

Seungyoun blinks at him, like he's surprised by the offer, "That's really kind, but I can't ask anything more from you. You already do more than enough."

"But I want to do more," Hangyul says before he realizes how pushy it sounds. Maybe he's a little desperate for this to work, but he doesn't want the other to know that. "If you really don't need help, I get it. I would just feel better knowing that you have someone to give you a hand if you ever do."

There's a pregnant pause as the father thinks it over. He seems unsure, which isn't the best sign, but after a moment, another smile settles on his lips. "Okay," he eventually agrees, digging his phone out of his pocket. He unlocks it, pulls up the contacts, and hands it over. "If it makes you feel better, give me your number and I'll let you know if I ever need help."

Hangyul almost can't believe how easy that was; he should have done this months ago. So much of his time has been spent hoping that Seungyoun would make a move, and all it took was a simple offer for the other to ask for his number. It's not under the exact circumstances that he's been hoping for, but he'll take what he can get.

He types in his number before giving it back to the owner. There's a giddiness under his skin and a smile on his face that he can't shake. He directs his attention to Dohyon so his grin doesn't seem out of place, "You make sure your dad calls me if he needs help, alright?" He can hear Seungyoun chuckling next to him, so to avoid turning red as a tomato, he refuses to look.

Dohyon looks up at him with big eyes, thrilled that he has been given such responsibility. He pushes himself to stand as tall as his little body will allow, holding out a hand with his pinky and ring fingers extended. It takes a minute for Hangyul to recognize what the gesture is supposed to mean, bending over to lock their pinkies together. He even stamps the promise with a touch of their thumbs, which makes the boy giggle wildly.

"Cute," Seungyoun mutters as he watches the scene before him. Hangyul knows the comment is directed toward his son, but his stomach still twists at the microscopic possibility that it could be about him as well.

Hangyul takes a moment to compose himself, schooling his expression into something more neutral. He doesn't know what else to say, not wanting to over-emphasize how much he wants Seungyoun to call him—he's already bordering on excessive. He decides instead that he should probably let them leave, having held them back for a good fifteen minutes by now (which is nothing compared to the time he spent waiting earlier, but unlike Seungyoun, he doesn't have a good excuse for it). "You two should probably get going. Our last snack time was a few hours ago, so I'm sure Dohyon is starving by now."

The mention of food is all it takes to motivate the toddler, who grabs hold of Seungyoun's hand and pulls on it with all his might, "Daddy! Can we have nuggets?"

"Of course we can!" Seungyoun answers with an equal amount of excitement, bending down to pick up the boy again. When he turns to Hangyul, his smile is soft, "Thanks again. I promise, I'll show up earlier tomorrow."

"I'll hold you to that," Hangyul teases.

Seungyoun chuckles, and the sound reminds him so much of Dohyon's laughter, "Please don't. We both know it won't really happen." He adjusts the toddler in his arms, "Say goodbye to your teacher."

Dohyon looks away long enough to smile and shout "bye bye!" before he turns back to his dad and starts impatiently poking at his cheeks.

It's so cute, Hangyul kind of wants to die.

"Bye bye," he repeats, waving to the pair as they walk off to the parking lot. He can hear them animatedly discussing everything Dohyon did that day, and a small part of him wishes he was welcome to that conversation too.

He's pleased with the progress they made today, so that will just have to be enough for now.

Hangyul waits nearly a month before he finally gets a call.

In those couple of weeks, their conversations after school stayed the same. Seungyoun never mentioned needing help, never even hinted at it, and once the first week passed, he assumed that it was a failed attempt. Even Yohan picked up on it, teasing him during snack breaks when all of the kids were too busy eating to pay attention to them.

When he first told his friend about the interaction, he seemed proud. After months of talking about Seungyoun, whining about how attractive and kind he was, Hangyul finally dared to make a move. It was a big deal, and Yohan even treated him to pizza that night before they went their separate ways. The little celebration made Hangyul feel even more confident about it, like he had already succeeded, but then he found himself waiting day in and day out. He went from talking about how much he liked Seungyoun to whining about how desperately he wanted the man to call him.

So when he finally does receive a call early one Saturday morning, it doesn't occur to him who it might be.

Weekends are his only days off, and the sleep he gets on those two days is very valuable. Most of his friends use Friday and Saturday nights to go out and drink, but Hangyul likes to think of those as his "me nights". By the end of the school week, he feels too drained to do anything, so those nights usually consist of drinking tea, watching mindless television, maybe playing video games, and turning in for the night before 10 PM. The following mornings are just as important, trying to collect as many hours of sleep as humanly possible.

His phone rings at 7:30 AM, at least two hours before he wants to wake up. It rouses him from his deep sleep, the ringtone blaring obnoxiously in his ear. He doesn't even bother to check the caller ID before answering.

"Hello?" His voice is heavy with sleep, even deeper than it usually is.

"Ah, sorry, I think I have the wrong number," the caller sounds confused, but his half-asleep brain can't understand why. "I'm looking for Lee Hangyul?"

He wakes up a little more when he hears his full name. It has to be something important; nobody he knows ever bothers to use his full name. "Yeah, that's me. Can I help you?"

There's a laugh on the other end, relieved, "Oh, sorry. I didn't recognize your voice. It's Cho Seungyoun, Dohyon's dad."

That manages to wake him up the rest of the way. He wants to let the man know that he is well aware of who he is, but he's too busy chuckling at the fact that his voice was unrecognizable. He isn't surprised—he never uses his real voice at school, always speaking in a higher tone, so hearing it even deeper than usual from sleep must have been shocking.

"Hey!" His voice raises in pitch out of habit, "Sorry, I usually don't use my natural voice. It's too deep, so some of the kids get scared."

"I think it's nice. It suits you," Seungyoun replies easily, completely unaware of the effect his words have on the younger man. "I probably woke you up, didn't I? I forget that most people don't have a toddler waking them up at 6:30 every morning."

Hangyul sits up in bed as he rubs the sleep from his eyes, "No, no, it's okay. Is everything alright?"

"Actually, I need to ask for a really big favor," Seungyoun says, waiting until he hears Hangyul hum in acknowledgement before continuing. "I know it's super last minute, but would you be able to watch Dohyon today? The grandma who usually watches him is sick today, and my mom is out of town, so I don't really have anyone else I can ask. Plus, he's already comfortable with you, and you know what you're doing, so I won't have to worry all day." There's another pause before he adds, "It's totally fine if you can't! Don't feel like you have to do it. But if you do, I'll pay you for it."

It quickly dawns on Hangyul that this is his chance. The moment he's been waiting for, the opportunity he needs to grow closer to Seungyoun and become more than just his son's teacher—it's finally happening!

"I'll do it!" He comes off far too eager, so he clears his throat and tries again, "I mean, I don't have anything else to do today, so I can come watch him."

Seungyoun lets out a sigh of relief, "You are a lifesaver, Hangyul. Seriously." There's another pause on the other line, which Hangyul assumes is the man checking the time, "I have to leave in an hour and a half, so would you be able to come over now? I want to make sure I have enough time to go over all of the rules and show you where everything is."

"Yeah, I can do that," he's already out of bed, moving to grab his towel. "Let me jump in the shower and I can be there in twenty minutes. Just text me your address, okay?"

"I owe you big time," the man sounds like a very heavy weight has been lifted off of his shoulders.

"It's no big deal," Hangyul replies simply, because it's technically true; this is a huge deal to him, but not in the sense that Seungyoun means. "I'll be there soon."

They bid their goodbyes and Hangyul rushes off to shower. He doesn't want to spend too much time on his appearance, but he also refuses to show up looking like he just crawled out of bed—even if Seungyoun isn't going to be home for a majority of the day, he still wants to look good.

Most of the fifteen minutes it takes for him to get ready are spent picking out an outfit. Once he settles on some jeans that he knows make his thighs look great and a sweatshirt comfy enough to wear all day, he heads off to the address he was sent.

Hangyul is pleasantly surprised to find that the pair live pretty close to him, giving him just enough time to grab a breakfast sandwich on his way there. By the time he reaches their apartment building, he's managed to shovel down the meal to fuel his body for a day with an energetic toddler. He double checks the address before hitting the buzzer for their apartment.

"Who is it?" A familiar tiny voice shouts at him through the intercom system.

He chuckles at the child's enthusiasm, "It's your teacher, Hangyul."

He nearly jumps out of his skin at the high pitched scream that follows. The door buzzes as he's still trying to gather himself from the scare, and when he finally reaches their front door, he's met with Seungyoun holding a very happy Dohyon in his arms.

"Teacher Gyul!"

Hangyul's heart melts at the greeting. Dohyon is always happy to see him, but seeing him outside of daycare must make it special, because the toddler is practically vibrating with excitement.

"Hey, thanks again for coming over," Seungyoun captures his attention immediately. "I was in the middle of dressing him when you buzzed."

It's then that Hangyul notices that Dohyon isn't wearing any pants, free to kick his legs wildly without the restriction of fabric. He lets himself in when Seungyoun steps back to make room for him. "It's no problem, really. I told you I'm happy to help."

"I know, I know. I just—," the man walks further into the apartment as he speaks, so Hangyul follows. "I'm sure you have better things to do today."

He was planning on just spending the day in bed, but he doesn't mention that.

Having never been to their apartment before, he wants to take it all in as they walk to Dohyon's room. The place isn't much bigger than his own, but while his apartment is sparsely furnished, theirs is completely full. The walls are covered in family photos (mostly featuring the two of them and Seungyoun's mom), professional photography pieces, and framed drawings and paintings that he recognizes as Dohyon's art from school. The floor is covered too, toys of all shapes and sizes scattered all over the living room carpet. Even the couch has a mountain of action figures on one cushion, a fluffy blanket covering the other. Just one look is enough to tell that a toddler lives here.

When they reach Dohyon's room, Seungyoun sets the boy down and begins the fight to put on his pants. The bedroom isn't very big, holding only a dresser, a bookshelf, some buckets of toys, and the coolest race car bed Hangyul has ever seen. It's bright red and covered in mismatched stickers, just big enough for a single adult, but for a toddler, there's plenty of room. It's exactly the kind of bed he dreamed of as a kid, and somewhere deep down, he's a little jealous; that jealousy is easily outweighed, though, by the realization that Seungyoun is a cool enough dad to buy his son a race car bed.

"He's already eaten breakfast, so don't let him fool you," Seungyoun explains as he pulls the boy's pants up. "I'm sure you know how much he likes to eat. He's gonna bug you all day about it."

Hangyul knows all about Dohyon's appetite. Despite being the youngest in their class, he actually eats the most, constantly trying to steal snacks from his friends or begging for extra food at lunchtime.

"He's allowed to have two snacks a day, one before lunch and one after, but try not to make them too close together," once he's done pulling up the tiny pair of pants, he gives his son a playful pat on his butt.

Dohyon, who is clearly listening to the instructions, then turns to smile at his dad, "Snacks?"

"Not yet, baby. Go watch TV while I show Hangyul around," he pets the boy's head before sending him off.

They watch Dohyon totter off down the hall. They wait until he's seated on the couch and thoroughly distracted by a cartoon before Seungyoun continues.

"Honestly, you probably know all of this anyway. But he knows to tell you if he has to go to the bathroom—we're transitioning to big boy undies, so make sure you get him on the toilet as soon as he tells you. And when you put him down for a nap, you might want to put a diaper on him just in case. I keep those in the basket next to the toilet," Seungyoun takes that chance to show him where the bathroom is. He points out the basket in question, tugging the bath curtain closed to hide the mess of rubber toys sitting in the tub. "I'm sorry, it's such a mess right now."

"I work in a daycare, hyung," Hangyul chuckles. "This is nothing."

Next up is the kitchen, which is attached to the living room with an open concept layout. That will make things a lot easier on him, able to watch Dohyon play while he prepares lunch. Aside from the dishes in the sink, it's probably the cleanest space in the apartment.

"Dohyon knows the food we have; I swear, it's like he has a photographic memory, but only when it comes to groceries. But he'll tell you what he wants to eat," Seugyoun says as he pulls open the fridge. "This drawer is all of his snacks. I try to balance it out, so if he gets chocolate pudding as one snack, I'll give him something like apples and peanut butter for the second. Just don't let him eat junk food all day."

Seungyoun moves on to the cabinets, showing where they keep their dishes and cups. Then he shows off the cabinets filled with food, "You don't have to make him anything complex for lunch. We have pizzas you can make, or macaroni and cheese, or cereal. Whatever you're in the mood for, feel free to make it. You can have some of the snacks too, if you want."

The best part of Hangyul's job is bonding with the children. He loves getting to know each of them, learning their likes and their personalities, and becoming an important part in their childhood development. But the second best part of it has to be the access it gives him to snacks designed specifically for kids. Not many people can say that their job allows them to eat fruit snacks and drink Pororo themed juice, and everyone knows that food always tastes better when it's shaped like a cartoon character.

Suddenly, Hangyul can't wait for snacktime.

"I only need to go in today for a few meetings, so hopefully I'll be back by three. If you need anything, you can text me and I'll try to answer as soon as I can." Seungyoun disappears down the hallway for a minute, and when he returns, he's tying a tie around his neck. 

Hangyul is suddenly hit with the ridiculous urge to reach out and help him with it, like a housewife in a 50s sitcom. It's stupid, he knows it is, but he really wishes it was socially acceptable to do something so domestic to someone you're barely friends with.

(It's even dumber when he realizes that he doesn't really know how to properly tie a tie.)

"Try to limit TV time if you can. It's so much easier to just put on a bunch of movies and let him sit there all day, but I'm doing my best to alternate between TV and playing. He has more than enough toys to play with, so it shouldn't be hard," Seungyoun gestures to the piles of toys laying around the living room, as if to prove his point.

There aren't too many rules that he needs to remember, so Hangyul thinks he can manage it. He's usually watching over twelve kids, keeping them all busy for hours at a time. Watching just one should be a piece of cake. So he says as much, to quell any of the other man's worries.

"Diapers during naptime, only one snack in between each meal, alternate between playing and TV, and text you if I need anything," he counts out each point on his fingers. "Am I missing anything?"

"I think that's everything," Seungyoun finishes with fiddling with his tie and runs a hand through his gel-filled hair. It looks really nice today—it's usually falling out of place by the end of the day, when Hangyul sees him, so seeing it all slicked back and neat is a nice change of pace.

He walks over to the couch, standing in front of the screen to block his son's view, "Baby, I'm headed to work now, okay? Be good for Hangyul and we can get something tasty for dinner."

At first, Dohyon is annoyed that he can't see his show, wiggling around to look passed the body blocking his way. But, predictably, the mention of food captures his attention. "Jajangmyeon?" He asks so sweetly that it's easy to ignore how he trips over the word.

"Only if you listen to Hangyul!"

"I will!" Dohyon straightens his posture on the couch, just to show how earnest he is about it.

Seungyoun bends down to plant a kiss on the boy's forehead. When he pulls away, he makes a heart over his head and shouts, "I love you!"

Little arms do their best to copy the pose as Dohyon shouts back, "Love you, daddy!"

Hangyul doesn't think he has ever witnessed anything so cute.

As soon as his dad walks away, Dohyon goes right back to watching the TV screen, immediately absorbed in the show. Seungyoun must take that as his cue to leave, slipping on a pair of dress shoes by the door. "If he misbehaves at all, remind him about that promise. I'm sure it'll help him keep his attitude in check," he laughs.

Hangyul nods, making a mental note of it, and walks with Seungyoun to the door. He has no idea why he feels like he has to see the man out of his own home, but he's subconsciously trailing after him like a puppy.

"Oh, and if he asks for the _kitty_ movie, he's talking about Vroomiz. It's on Netflix, and the preview is a bunch of cars that look like animals. But if he asks for the _car_ movie, it's Robocar Poli. It looks almost exactly the same, but the cars look like actual cars. Neither of them are movies, and he usually likes to watch the first seasons, so just pick a random episode. If you put on the wrong show, he'll probably throw a fit, so be careful," Seungyoun is deadly serious as he explains the difference, like this is the most important thing he's said yet, so Hangyul does his best to memorize it.

"Dohyon," Seungyoun hovers in the doorway until he has the boy's attention, "pause this and show Hangyul your toys, okay? You can watch it again in an hour." He gives Hangyul a dazzling smile before he leaves, throwing out one last tip in a stage-whisper, "Time means nothing to him. You can decide when the hour is up."

The door slams shut, and Hangyul is left standing there as his heart beats out of his chest. He didn't think that the other man could be any more charming, but in the comfort of his own home, he somehow manages it. He feels like a minute or two passed before he's pulled out of his trance, Dohyon tugging on his arm impatiently.

When he looks down at the child, he's immediately handed a little toy German Shepard with a police cap on. Luckily, his dayjob has prepared him for this, and he recognizes the character from Paw Patrol.

"He's Chase," Dohyon says as an explanation.

Hangyul nods in understanding, prepared to spark up a conversation about the police dog, but is cut off when he's handed another toy. This one is a Dalmatian from the same show.

"Marshall," the boy says with surprisingly accurate pronunciation. Next up is a bulldog with a hardhat. "Rubble." Three more toys are placed in his hand, Dohyon listing off their names as he goes, "Skye. Rocky. Zuma."

Hangyul isn't sure if he should be giving a reaction to each one, so he settles for mumbling little words of encouragement like "wow" and "cool". It must be enough, because Dohyon doesn't complain, moving on to hand the man his line of superhero action figures, and then his collection of dolls modeled after Disney princesses. 

By the time he finishes showing off every toy in the living room, Hangyul's arms are full, determined to not drop any of them. Dohyon was so careful when he gave them to him, so it would be criminal to treat them recklessly.

"You have so many toys," Hangyul says after he notices Dohyon is waiting for him to comment on them. "Which one is your favorite?"

At the question, the boy stands on his toes, peering into the pile of toys in Hangyul's arms. When he doesn't find what he's searching for, he grabs some of the figures and dumps them on the couch, as if to show him what to do with them. Dohyon takes off down the hall, so he sets the rest of them down gently and follows his lead.

He finds him in the bedroom, digging through the mess of toys he has collected in a bucket at the end of his bed. It only takes a moment for Dohyon to find his favorite toy, pulling out a familiar plastic race car.

"This yours?" He asks, voice almost comically quizzical as he holds it out for Hangyul to see.

Technically, the car _is_ his, because this is the present Hangyul had given him a month before, when the class celebrated Yohan's birthday. The two teachers wanted to do something special for the kids, so they took it as an opportunity to throw a party, teaching the kids how to sing Happy Birthday properly and taking a day off from their usual activities to partake in party games. Yohan brought in cupcakes, and Hangyul went out and bought cheap toy cars for each of the children.

The fact that Dohyon not only remembers who gave him the car, but has also declared it as his favorite toy, makes Hangyul embarrassingly emotional. Is this the kind of pride that a parent feels? He thinks it's a prime example of the term "heartwarming". Seungyoun must feel this same clenching in his chest a majority of the time; it would explain all of the kisses he gives his son on a daily basis.

He genuinely feels choked up, but still manages to get out a reply, "That's right, I gave that to you."

Dohyon smiles at him, all chubby cheeks and tiny teeth, "Yeah!" He looks back down at the toy in his hand, studying it as though he's committing Hangyul's confirmation to memory. After a few quiet seconds pass, he repeats the word to himself, his voice nothing more than a whisper, "Yeah."

The rest of the day is filled with cute moments like this, almost making Hangyul wish he had a son of his own.

He loves spending time with Dohyon and the other children at daycare, but in a home setting, it's a whole new ballgame. There's so much more that they're able to do, and being in the comfort of his own apartment, Dohyon is even more confident than usual. He's constantly babbling, although only half of what he says are actual words, and he's excited to show Hangyul everything there is to do at his house.

They spend nearly an hour playing in his room with his toys before Dohyon decides that he wants to show off his closet. He pulls out his favorite shirts (many of which Hangyul recognizes from his usual outfits), and then moves on to his large selection of sweaters. Nearly everything he owns has a cartoon character on it, and if Hangyul wasn't legally an adult, he thinks that his own wardrobe would look similar. Something about wearing your favorite character on your chest just makes the day a little brighter—like wearing your favorite pair of underwear.

Speaking of underwear, those come next, with Dohyon pulling out pair after pair from his dresser. For a child who is still transitioning to big boy panties, he sure does own a lot of them.

"Want this one," the boy tells him as he hands over a pair of Star Wars themed undies. Before Hangyul's mind can translate that into a proper sentence, Dohyon tugs down his pants and underwear in one swift motion. His stubby legs kick wildly until the clothing is completely removed from his body, holding onto Hangyul to keep himself standing upright.

He has no idea how his previous pair of underwear is any different from the new one, but Hangyul takes the hint and helps the toddler put them on anyway. Once his pants are back on, Dohyon simply walks out of the room, leaving him behind to clean up the clothing all over the floor.

The next few hours are filled with the "kitty movie", snack time, and a game of house featuring Dohyon's superhero action figures. Despite how often his job requires it, Hangyul still hasn't mastered the art of playing with dolls. He feels awkward talking through them, unsure of what to make them do or say, so it mostly just consists of him copying whatever the kid decides to make their own toy do.

(He usually plays with the girls in his class, who like to make their dolls act like a married couple. Today, he learns that Dohyon mostly just likes to pretend that Spiderman is taking a shit in the dollhouse bathroom. Because of this, Hangyul's Ironman just hangs out outside of the bathroom and comments on the many fart noises Dohyon makes.)

Lunch comes quicker than he expects it to, and hunger transforms the happy child into a little demon. Dohyon doesn't appreciate that it takes time to make a pizza in the oven, and after five minutes of waiting, he starts to complain.

"Want pizza now!" His tiny fits bang on the table impatiently, glaring at Hangyul like it's entirely his fault.

He sighs, suddenly feeling ten years older, "There's ten minutes left. If you eat it now, it'll taste bad and make you sick."

"No! It tastes good now!" Dohyon retorts with so much confidence, he has to believe it's true.

Hangyul crosses his arms over his chest, watching the toddler with a raised eyebrow, "Dohyon, if you don't stop yelling, I'm going to tell your dad. Didn't you promise to be good?"

His expression shifts, moving through the emotions of anger, sadness, and guilt in a matter of seconds. True to Seungyoun's words, the reminder of his promise is enough to snap Dohyon out of it, falling silent as he reflects on his own actions.

The ten minutes tick by slowly, but by the end of it, Dohyon is back to his normal, polite self. He doesn't even need to be told to apologize, mumbling a quiet "sorry" when Hangyul moves to take the pizza out of the oven. It's impossible to stay mad at someone so cute, so the apology is immediately accepted, and the pair spend their lunch quietly munching on pizza until each slice disappears.

Between the crankiness he displayed and the glassy look in his eyes when he finishes eating, Hangyul decides that it's naptime. Dohyon has never been one to argue about naps, unlike some of the other kids, so when he suggests it to the toddler, he immediately heads back to his bedroom. It only takes a few minutes for the boy to fall asleep, leaving Hangyul to scroll through his phone in the living room to pass time.

Curiosity nearly gets the best of him, but Hangyul somehow manages to hold himself back from snooping around the apartment. It's not everyday that he's left alone in his crush's home, and he's so tempted to take advantage of that, but it doesn't feel right. He wants to look around with Seungyoun's permission, have the man lead him from room to room and explain all of the precious memories behind the photos on the walls. He wants to be invited into their lives organically, and poking his nose where it doesn't belong is the exact opposite of that.

Hangyul only has to distract himself for half an hour before a very sleepy Dohyon wanders down the hall. His face looks even more bloated, red and warm from being buried in his pillow, and he's wiping at his eyes to wake himself up. Without a word, he climbs onto the couch to sit next to him, leans his head on Hangyul's shoulder, and points at the TV.

They watch television for the next hour, only talking when Dohyon has commentary about the show (like "silly monkey" and "car goes fast") and by the time they get up for his second snack of the day, the front door is opening. Although he doesn't abandon his plate of crackers and cheese, Dohyon immediately perks up at the sound of his father's arrival.

"I'm home!" Seungyoun announces as he steps inside, shattering the comfortable quiet that the two had settled into.

His cheeks filled with food, the little boy grins at the man, waving the hand that doesn't currently have a cracker in it, "Hi, daddy!"

Seungyoun kicks off his shoes, and despite the exhaustion in his posture, he still beams back at his son, "I missed you today, baby!" Once he reaches the kitchen, he plants a kiss on Dohyon's head and steals a piece of cheese.

"Missed you too, daddy," he replies happily, attention already back on his plate of food.

It's then that he greets Hangyul, looking over to him with a tired smile, "He wasn't too much trouble, was he?"

Hangyul's stomach clenches a little at the tiny bags under the other's eyes. He wishes he could tuck Seungyoun in for the nap that he very desperately needs. "No trouble at all, actually. It's a lot easier to watch one kid than a whole class of them."

"I don't know how you do that," Seungyoun chuckles. "Some days, I feel so overwhelmed. I can't imagine having multiple children around."

"Well, I split the workload with Yohan and get to go home at the end of the day, so it's not really fair to compare the two," Hangyul shrugs. He feels like it's time for him to get going, so he starts walking back into the living room to put on his shoes.

Seungyoun follows him, pulling a wallet from his pocket and digging through it for the appropriate number of bills. "I know we didn't decide on a price, so I'll just give you what I think I owe you."

In all honesty, Hangyul would have done it for free, but when he tries to voice that to the man, he's abruptly cut off and handed a small stack of bills. It's more than he expected, but Seungyoun is already putting his wallet away, so he assumes that the amount isn't up for discussion. At least he'll have some extra spending money for groceries this week.

"For the millionth time, thank you for coming over today," Seungyoun walks with him to the door, hovering awkwardly with his hands in his pockets.

Hangyul smiles at him, a genuine happiness filling him because he finally managed to help Seugyoun out, "It really isn't a big deal. I gave you my number because I wanted to help, remember?"

"Yeah, I know," the other rubs at the back of his neck, almost bashful. "It's just a little difficult for me to ask for help."

Hangyul wants to quell whatever worries are plaguing him, but he also recognizes an opportunity to lend his services again. With Seungyoun gone all day, he wasn't able to actually spend time with him, but maybe having a few extra conversations before and after babysitting is all they need to push their acquaintanceship a little further. "Well, don't hesitate to ask me, okay? I'm always willing to help."

"Okay," Seungyoun sighs, but the tiny smile he's wearing says that he appreciates it. "The next time I need a babysitter, you'll be the first one I call."

"Good."

That promise is more than enough for Hangyul. His heartbeat speeds up just knowing that he's becoming someone Seungyoun can depend on. That's really all he could ask for right now.

As he says goodbye to the father and son, a little sad to be leaving them, he holds onto the hope that he'll be invited back soon enough.


	2. Chapter 2

When Dohyon shows up to daycare on Monday morning, the first thing he does is brag about his weekend hangout with Hangyul.

"Teacher Gyul come to my house, and we watched the kitty movie!" He announces, full of pride and blissfully unaware of his grammatical errors. As the youngest kid in the class, Dohyon thrives the most when all of the older kids are paying attention to him. He's always pulling on the other boys' clothes to get them to look at him, or trying to act cute so they'll baby him. Today is no exception, and by boasting about the Saturday he spent with their teacher, all eyes are on him.

"No fair!" It's obvious just from Dongpyo's tone of voice that he's genuinely offended that Hangyul didn't visit his house too over the weekend. He crosses his arms and huffs, "I want Teacher Gyul to come to my house!"

"No, he's gonna come to mine!" Minhee frowns at the other boy, confident in his own words even though he doesn't have reason to be.

One of the girls in the class, Yujin, grabs hold of Hangyul's hand. She looks up at him with a pair of the most irresistible puppy dog eyes, "Teacher Gyul, will you come to my house too?"

Noticing that the attention has shifted from him to their teacher, Dohyon speaks up again, his words coming out in an excited rush, "No, he only come to mine! My daddy called him!"

This seems to catch Yohan's attention, who was previously preoccupied with helping little Junho out of his jacket. He looks over to Hangyul with a smugness written all over his face, "Dohyon's daddy called you, huh?"

For once, Hangyul is glad that the children are bickering, too busy to notice the blush that takes over his face. Kids have no tact—they'll point out the redness in his cheeks without hesitation, even if there's no malice behind it.

"Yes, he did," he clears his throat, looking down at Yujin who is still holding onto his hand with all her might. "So if anyone else wants me to come to their house, they need to ask their parents first." It's not technically an empty promise if he doesn’t actually agree to do it.

Thankfully, his answer seems to distract the kids. Yujin lets go of him, running over to her usual table with Wonyoung and Nako to "write herself a reminder". Dongpyo requests to use Yohan's cellphone so he can ask his parents right away, but he quickly loses interest when Minhee walks away—Hyeongjun enters the classroom at that moment, and the two boys are already arguing about who he’ll sit next to today. The only kid left is Dohyon, who approaches Yohan to tell _him_ all about his day with Hangyul instead.

"You should ask your daddy to call Teacher Gyul again soon," Yohan tells the boy when he finishes giving him a rundown of their Saturday together. He may be a pain in the ass, but as far as coworker-slash-friends go, Hangyul could be stuck with a lot worse.

Dohyon nods enthusiastically, "I will!"

"Good!" He throws a wink in Hangyul's directly, clearly pleased with himself for encouraging the toddler. "Now why don't you grab some paper and crayons and draw what you two did together?"

They watch the boy run off to one of the tables. He takes a seat next to Junho and Eunsang so he can brag to them about his weekend next. It's adorable how eager he is to share the story with his classmates; it makes Hangyul feel a little better about weaseling his way into the father-son duo's life.

"So," Yohan turns on him the moment all of the children are distracted, "what happened?"

"Nothing happened," Hangyul tries to shrug him off. "He needed a babysitter last minute, and I was available. We barely even interacted."

"Yeah, but you were still in his _apartment_. That's a big step for you!"

He shakes his head, refusing to get his hopes up. He knows the other means well, but the last thing he needs is to build up a certain expectation in his head only to be disappointed later on. Seungyoun only invited him over to watch his son. Maybe in the future, his reasoning will evolve, but Hangyul won't delude himself into thinking anything else right now.

"I'm just helping him out, Yohan. I told him he could call me if he needs anything else, but that doesn't mean he will," Hangyul mutters, busying himself by pulling out their small collection of coloring books to hand out.

Never easy to deter, Yohan lets out a snort, "Maybe you don't notice it, but the guy is definitely into you. Every time he shows up, he goes straight to you; I've only ever talked to him when you were standing right next to me." Hangyul hadn't noticed that, but now that Yohan points it out, he can't recall ever seeing the two of them talk without him around. "I bet he's gonna ask you to help him out within the next two weeks."

"I would take you up on that bet if I could afford it," Hangyul rolls his eyes. He doesn't mention that he doesn't want to take the bet anyway, hopeful that maybe Yohan is right.

Hangyul ends up being glad that he didn't make that bet, because Seungyoun asks him to babysit Dohyon again on Friday night. There's an important dinner that his boss wants him to tag along for, so it's only for a few hours, but at least he's able to give Hangyul a day's notice this time.

Seungyoun brings it up on Thursday afternoon as they wait for Dohyon and Yohan to retrieve the boy's scarf that he forgot in the classroom. For the most part, their conversations have remained the same, revolving around his son and what he had gotten up to during the day. After the first two days, Hangyul accepted that one instance of babysitting just wasn't enough to change their dynamic, so the request comes as a pleasant surprise.

Hangyul knows that Friday nights are important for his health. Working with kids means being exposed to germs, and exhaustion lowers his immune system. He needs Friday nights to unwind after a long work week and catch up on some much needed sleep. But he's quickly learning that he can't say no to Seungyoun, so he decides to sacrifice his usual Friday ritual to lend the man a hand.

(Yohan calls him whipped for that, but he claims he's just trying to be helpful.)

By the time he's able to go home on Friday evening, Hangyul is ready to collapse. He spent a majority of the day looking after Hitomi, an energetic little girl who had a knack for cartwheels. She sprained her ankle the day before, and her parents requested that he keep a close eye on her throughout the day. This included carrying her around on his back when she had to take more than a few steps, and taking her spot in a game of tag so she could be a little cheerleader for him on the sidelines—and to be fair, he did feel more motivated when he saw her tiny hands waving in the air for him. But even with her cheering, he still had to maintain the same energy level as a group of toddlers, and that was a very demanding task.

Needless to say, when he finally enters his apartment, he has to take a good twenty minutes to just lay on his couch and reassess his career choice. He would have spent the entire night in that position, but Seungyoun needs him there by 6:30, which only gives him enough time to take a relaxing shower and change into a more casual outfit.

By the time he shows up, Seungyoun is just finishing up making dinner for Dohyon. The smell of a home cooked meal hits him as soon as he enters, his stomach grumbling to express its hunger. The little boy is too busy watching TV to greet him, straining his neck to see the screen from a distance, but Seungyoun wastes no time inviting him inside. Hangyul is given a warm welcome and is immediately ushered into the kitchen where he's handed a plate of curry rice.

"Ah, thank you," he feels a little flustered at being taken care of, but doesn't want to be rude and refuse the free meal. Plus, it looks and smells better than any of the shitty fast food that makes up his usual diet.

"It's no problem," Seungyoun sets up Dohyon's plate before putting his dirty pot in the sink. "I made extra for you, actually. I had a feeling you wouldn't have time to eat."

Of course the man was kind enough to think of him. The more Hangyul sees of him, the more it becomes clear that Seungyoun is basically an angel.

"You didn't have to," he clears his throat as he picks up his utensils, "but I appreciate it."

Dohyon speaks up for the first time, only pulling his attention away from his show to start eating, "Daddy's rice is best!"

Seungyoun smiles down at the boy with the kind of expression that only proud parents can make, "Don't let grandma hear you say that."

"Grandma's is next best!" Dohyon is quick to add, as if the woman is actually listening in on their conversation. His dad ruffles his hair affectionately, and he takes it as a sign to start shoveling rice into his mouth.

"So," Seungyoun starts as he steps into the living room to retrieve his coat. "I'm not gonna stick around for drinks after dinner, so I should be back in a few hours. Bedtime is at 9:30, but Dohyon is pretty sleepy today, so he might be ready even earlier than that."

That sounds easy enough. Hangyul is exhausted, but it's only for a few hours, and Dohyon will be asleep for half of it. He can manage that.

"Does he need to do anything before bed? Aside from brushing his teeth, of course."

Seungyoun pulls on his shoes and grabs his keys as he thinks it over. "No, I can give him a bath tomorrow, so you don't have to worry about that. Just don't forget to put on a diaper before he sleeps."

Hangyul snorts at the man's wording, quirking an eyebrow at him playfully, "You want me to wear a diaper while he sleeps?"

The question startles a laugh out of Seungyoun, complete with a dorky little snort, "Alright, smarty-pants. You know what I meant."

"I know," Hangyul grins, unabashedly pleased with himself for making the other snort. "I just wanted to make you laugh."

They're practically a room away, and Hangyul could just be tired enough to start seeing things, but he swears he spots a blush tinting Seungyoun's face. His heart skips a beat at the sight.

The man clears his throat, turning his attention to Dohyon once more, "Listen to Hangyul while I'm gone, okay? You'll be asleep when I get back, but I'll come give you a goodnight kiss anyway."

Dohyon seems more interested in the TV than whatever his father has to say, nodding absentmindedly as he continues to chow down on his dinner.

Seungyoun rolls his eyes, "He's only three and he's already hitting his rebellious phase."

"In his defense, this looks like a pretty good episode," Hangyul grins back at him.

The man shakes his head with a dramatic sigh, like the whole world is turning against him, "Don't do this to me, Hangyul. I can't handle more than one heartbreak today."

It's his turn to blush, even though he knows that Seungyoun is joking. He can't help but feel joyful over the insinuation that he means enough to him to cause heartbreak. It might not be true right now, but maybe one day…

He does his best to ignore the pounding of his own heart, "Don't you have a dinner to get to?"

A hand moves to cover Seungyoun's heart as he feigns offense, "The second time he's been to my home and he's already kicking me out. Unbelievable."

Hangyul chuckles, looking down at his plate of rapidly cooling food. He doesn't think he would be able to make eye contact without turning beet red. "Sorry, sorry. I just don't want you to be late."

"Aw, you care about my tardiness?" Seungyoun coos, and Hangyul has a feeling that if he looked up, he would see the man batting his eyelashes. "Well, I won't make you worry. See you in a bit," the man practically sings over his shoulder on his way out.

The door slams shut behind him and Hangyul is left staring at his now lukewarm dinner, wondering why the hell Seungyoun seems so flirty today. Maybe he's just projecting, so hopeful that something more will develop that his mind is misinterpreting things. But at the same time, he not only made the man laugh tonight, but _blush_ as well—he wants to believe that he didn't imagine that.

The more he thinks about it, the more his chest begins to ache, so he decides to set his thoughts aside and focus on Dohyon instead.

Just as Seungyoun assumed he would be, Dohyon is completely drained of energy by the time they finish dinner.

Despite barely being able to hold his eyes open, the little boy still insists that he can stay up, requesting that he and Hangyul watch a movie before bed. In all honesty, Hangyul isn't even positive that he'll be able to stay awake during a movie, but he can't say no to the tiny dragged out "_pleeeease_" that's paired with Dohyon's pout.

That's how he finds himself curled up on the couch with a toddler in his lap, doing his very best to stay awake. It doesn't help that he has Dohyon cuddled to his chest like a soft and warm teddy bear—a teddy bear who is mindlessly playing with the rips in Hangyul's jeans.

The movie Dohyon found on Netflix is a typical children's movie, with a silly plot that barely makes sense and acting so bad he cringes at every other scene. Every now and then, there's a dumb joke that makes both him and Dohyon chuckle, but for the most part, it's just boring enough to nearly put them to sleep.

They get more than halfway through when a soft snoring catches Hangyul's attention. He shifts to get a better view of Dohyon's face, only to find him fast asleep. Luckily, he had enough foresight to brush the boy's teeth and change him before they sat down for the movie, so all he has to do is carry him to bed.

He manages to get Dohyon to his room without waking him, setting the child down on his little race car bed and tucking him in. He glances around the room in search for a nightlight, unsure of whether or not he uses one, but can't see anything plugged into an outlet. Not wanting to leave him in complete darkness, Hangyul decides to keep the door open a crack to let the hall light pour in.

He slips out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, busying himself by cleaning up the dishes from dinner. Seungyoun didn't ask him to, but he wants the other to come home to a clean sink. Plus, it keeps him awake, scrubbing the pot in between yawns big enough to bring tears to his eyes. Even after he's done, he wipes down the counters, reorganizes the couch cushions, and clears the floor of any stray toys.

When he checks the time, he finds that there's still at least an hour before he expects Seungyoun to come home. Without anything else to tidy up, he resigns himself to just sitting on the couch until the older man show up, but before his butt even makes contact with it, he's startled by a high pitched screaming. It sounds like a dolphin in distress at first, but quickly transitions into the tell-tale sound of a wailing toddler. His heart sinks as he hurries to check on Dohyon.

Hangyul pushes the door open and flips on the light to find one of the saddest sights he's ever seen. Dohyon is curled into a ball on his bed, holding his blanket over his head like some kind of shield as his body is racked with sobs. From what he can tell, there aren't any visible injuries, but the little boy is clearly in anguish.

Dohyon peeks open his eyes when he hears Hangyul enter, making eye contact for less than a second before he starts crying even harder.

"Buddy, what's wrong?" Hangyul keeps his voice soft as he cautiously approaches the boy, worried that he might upset him even more.

Luckily, he has the opposite reaction, reaching out for Hangyul as soon as he's close enough to the bed. He waits until the man is sitting next to him to answer, but only after crawling into his lap and burying his face in his chest. "I— I saw—," Dohyon hiccups through his tears, "_ghosts_!"

A nightmare. It was just a nightmare. Thank God he isn't actually hurt.

Hangyul sighs in relief as he wraps the kid up in a tight hug, "It's okay, it was just a dream. There aren't any ghosts."

The comfort of a warm embrace is already calming Dohyon down. He sniffles against Hangyul's chest until he feels confident enough to talk, "I saw it! Under my bed!" The boy pulls away to point at his left leg, "It grab me here! On my leg!"

Hangyul runs his hands across the boy’s back, tracing little circles with his palm to soothe him. He doesn't want to invalidate how Dohyon is feeling, even if he knows it was just his imagination, so he plays along, "It grabbed your leg? That's terrible. I'm sorry it was so scary."

Dohyon gives a tiny nod, wiping the tears from his eyes with a tight fist, "Scary…"

"You're a very brave boy, Dohyon," he gives him a sympathetic smile. "Do you feel better now?"

"Yeah," the toddler whispers, but the way he grabs a handful of Hangyul's shirt says otherwise. "Please stay here."

The request makes his heart clench painfully; there's absolutely no way he could say no to that. He shifts his position on the bed to lay down. Part of the problem was probably the darkness, so he elects to keep the light on, prepared to turn it off when he leaves. It's a tight squeeze for the two of them, but when he lets Dohyon cuddle up to him, using Hangyul's body as a pillow, they make it work.

"Go back to sleep, okay? I'll stay right here," he mutters, eyes automatically closing as his head hits the pillow. Seungyoun should be back soon, so he'll just rest his eyes until Dohyon falls asleep and get up when the man comes home.

"Okay," Dohyon whispers back, squeezing his eyes shut as well. His grip on Hangyul's shirt slowly loosens, his breathing evening out as the minutes tick by silently.

The gentle snores from earlier return, and not unlike a wave machine, the longer Hangyul listens to them, the more relaxed he feels. He blames the exhaustion that's been following him all day, his mind jumping at the chance to shut down for a few hours. Taking a ten minute nap wouldn't be the worst thing in the world; he'll need some energy to get himself home, and there's no better way to recharge.

He feels himself slipping further into unconsciousness. At this point, he doesn't have it in him to fight it off, so he decides to just surrender. A fleeting reminder to wake himself up in a few minutes is the last thought that floats through his head before he drifts off to sleep.

Hangyul wakes up to the smell of food. It's genuinely mouthwatering, his stomach immediately reacting with a growl. But then his brain supplies the fact that he lives alone, and he's never smelled any of his neighbors cooking before. That's a little concerning to say the least.

When he opens his eyes, he finds himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling; it's nice and smooth and nothing like the ugly popcorn ceiling of his apartment. He sits up and realizes that he isn't in his own bed, but instead was curled up on a much smaller bed shaped like a race car. He glances around the room, looking for the owner of the bed, and is met with an empty bedroom. A quick glance out the window tells him that it's still pretty dark, so Dohyon should probably be here with him.

He stretches as soon as he stands, trying to fix the uncomfortable tension in his back from sleeping on a mattress designed for a toddler. From outside of the room, he can hear music, although it's soft and muffled behind the door. Following the sound and the smell, he steps into the hallway, blinking at the bright lighting, and makes his way toward the kitchen.

Hangyul peers inside the room, and he's met with a picture perfect scene of domestic living. Dohyon is at the table, a bib around his neck, swaying back and forth to the music coming from a bluetooth speaker. By the stove, he sees Seungyoun flipping a pancake, softly singing along to the music in the most angelic voice. He doesn't look like his normal self either, dressed in a pair of sweats and an oversized t-shirt. 

Hangyul is so used to seeing him in dress pants and button up shirts—a combination that he absolutely adores him in—but for the first time, Seungyoun is dressed casually, and he somehow looks even more attractive than he usually does.

"Teacher Gyul!" Dohyon shouts excitedly, startling both of the men.

"Oh, hey!" Seungyoun spins around to greet him and, _dear God_, his hair is a fluffy mess and he has a pair of glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. He looks like the definition of the word "soft"; it's way too early for Hangyul to deal with this level of adorable.

He steps into the room, eyebrows furrowed as he assesses the situation. The two look well-rested, Seungyoun is most definitely making breakfast, and the sky doesn't look as dark as he originally thought. It suddenly occurs to him that he didn't just fall asleep for an hour or two, but accidentally spent the night.

The realization is mortifying.

"I am so sorry," he starts apologizing, "I didn't mean to spend the night."

Seungyoun laughs like it isn't a big deal and Hangyul isn't about to die of embarrassment. "It's okay, I don't mind. I actually tried waking you up, but you were dead asleep. Even Dohyon woke up when I came in, and I thought _he_ was a heavy sleeper."

Hangyul buries his face in his hands, wishing the floor would open up and swallow him whole, "Oh my God..."

"If I wasn't okay with it, I would have kicked you out somehow," Seungyoun tries to reassure him. "It's my own fault for coming home so late. I didn't even think about how tired you must've been after working all day."

It's horrifying that he basically forced the man to let him sleep over, but Seungyoun is being so kind and understanding, so he thinks he can survive this.

He sighs, raising his head from his hands, "No, it's fine. Dohyon asked me to lay with him, and I was so tired, I thought I was just gonna nap until you got back. Clearly, I underestimated how exhausted I was."

Dohyon takes that moment to chip in, wearing as smug an expression as a three year old can make, "Daddy gave me goodnight kisses, and then— and then he gave _you_ goodnight kisses!"

Scratch that. Hangyul is not going to survive this.

"He what?!" His voice comes out in a squeak, eyes wide as he stares at the man in shock and confusion.

Seungyoun's expression of horror must mirror his own, eyes like saucers and face flushing bright red as he flounders for an explanation, "It was just on the forehead! I swear, I— I wasn't going to, but Dohyon looked like he was gonna cry if I didn't! He basically demanded it!"

Hangyul suddenly feels lightheaded, his heart beating so rapidly that he's a little concerned about cardiac arrest. He doesn't know what's worse: his crush giving him a goodnight forehead kiss, or him being dead asleep when it happened.

Meanwhile, the little mastermind behind it all is losing his mind, giggling like a maniac from his spot at the table. At least one of them is amused by the situation.

"It's okay," Hangyul finally manages to spit out, even if it isn't actually okay. "It's impossible to say no to him, I get it."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have—," Seungyoun cuts himself off suddenly, spinning around on his heel as he remembers that he was supposed to be cooking. "The pancake!"

Hangyul's eyes jump to the pan where the abandoned pancake is most certainly burning. Dohyon even stops his laughter to mourn the loss of food, shifting from a grin to a pout in a matter of seconds.

Seungyoun moves to dump the blackened pancake in the trash, looking a little too stressed out for so early in the day. It makes Hangyul feel guilty, but the man smiles at him anyway. "I have to restart breakfast, so how about we just restart the whole morning?" he suggests, sounding hopeful to put the whole _goodnight kiss_ conversation to rest.

That sounds like a great idea to Hangyul, so he's quick to agree, "Okay, that works for me."

Seungyoun's expression brightens at that, obviously just as relieved as he is to start over. "Good morning, Hangyul! You fell asleep here, but that's okay because Dohyon and I are happy to have you."

At the mention of his name, Dohyon gives an enthusiastic nod, "So happy!"

"Then I'm honored to be your guest," Hangyul's nerves melt away a little bit, encouraged by the pair's cuteness to relax. There's no reason for him to freak out; it's like any old morning for him, just with two special guests.

"Go ahead and take a seat, I made enough batter for all of us," Seungyoun gives him such a sweet smile, there's no way he can refuse.

Hangyul slips into the seat next to Dohyon, wearing his own smile, "Thank you. I can't remember the last time I had homemade pancakes."

"Chocolate chip pancakes," the toddler informs him, eyes practically twinkling (as they usually are when discussing food).

"Just like my curry rice, my pancakes are top notch," Seungyoun brags from his position at the stove. It's difficult to not blatantly stare at his backside when it's on display like that. He pours batter into the pan before looking back at them from over his shoulder, "Welcome to SHOP, the Seungyoun House of Pancakes! Can I take your order?"

Hangyul decides to play along, hoping that it will help lighten the anxiety twisting in his stomach, "I've heard great things about SHOP. A little birdie told me you have chocolate chip pancakes, so I think I'll order a short stack of them."

"A little birdie, huh? I wonder who that could've been," he throws a wink in his son's direction, sending Dohyon into another giggle fit. "Three chocolate chip pancakes, coming right up! That'll be ₩5,000."

"That sounds a little pricey to me," Hangyul hums in thought, encouraged by the very amused toddler next to him.

Seungyoun chuckles, finishing up the first pancake and moving on to another, "These pancakes are filled with love. Love doesn't come cheap!"

Hangyul's heartbeat picks up its pace, and he has to remind himself that it's just a silly roleplay. The man isn't actually offering him his love. He clears his throat, ignoring the way his voice cracks a little when he speaks, "Sounds delicious, but for that price, they better be overflowing with love."

The tips of the other's ears turn red, and when Seungyoun looks at him again, he's wearing a smile that almost seems shy, "They will be, don't worry."

Hangyul's face heats up once again, his heart doing a dramatic leap at the smile he's given. He decides to abandon their playful banter to avoid having to reply, instead turning his attention to Dohyon, "So, what are your plans for today, buddy? Are you going to do anything fun?"

"Movie day!" The boy shouts his answer, stretching his arms out in front of him and spreading each of his fingers to wiggle them excitedly.

Seungyoun finishes up the last of the pancakes, carrying a giant stack to the table. He sets down three plates, as well as some syrup, before sitting down across from Hangyul, "Our original plans were to go to the park, but the rain put a damper on that."

At the mention of rain, Hangyul sits up, peering out of the living room window and noticing for the first time that it's absolutely pouring. That explains why the sky looked so dark when he first woke up. As if on cue, lightning strikes, followed by the rumble of thunder a few seconds later.

"I didn't even notice," he mutters as he moves pancakes onto his plate. "It's gonna be a pain getting home in this."

Seungyoun looks up from where he's cutting Dohyon's food, "Then don't. You can stay here and watch movies with us until it passes."

"Movie day with Teacher Gyul!" Dohyon cheers, but is immediately distracted when his dad finishes preparing his food. No time is wasted before he pours syrup all over it, happily shoveling the little pieces into his mouth.

Honestly, Hangyul couldn't think of a better way to spend a rainy day, but he already feels like he overstayed his welcome, "Are you sure? I don't wanna impose."

"I'm positive," Seungyoun insists. His gaze quickly darts down at his own plate when they lock eyes, bashful for reasons that Hangyul doesn't understand. "We have enough room on the couch for three people."

"Okay," he doesn't bother arguing. The thought of curling up on the couch with Seungyoun and Dohyon for a few hours sounds heavenly—almost as heavenly as these pancakes. "This is delicious," Hangyul tells the chef as he chews.

"Thank you," Seungyoun sounds genuinely pleased by the compliment. When Hangyul looks up to grin at him, he's given a cheeky wink, "You're tasting all the love I put into it."

Hangyul nearly chokes on his next bite, but at least his cough acts as a good cover for the redness in his face.

After breakfast, the trio find themselves piled onto the couch with warm blankets and happy tummies. Hangyul sits on one cushion as Seungyoun occupies the other with Dohyon snuggled between them to make a toddler sandwich. It takes them a while to decide on a movie, not because they can’t agree on anything, but because there are so many options. They scroll through Netflix for what feels like twenty minutes before taking a look at the physical DVD collection they own, which must take an extra ten.

When Seungyoun opens a cabinet to reveal multiple rows of DVDs, Hangyul can’t help but notice duplicates of nearly every title. He questions them about it, unsure of why anyone would need so many copies of the same movies, and is pleasantly surprised by the answer he's given.

("I heard that it's better for a kid to learn multiple languages at a young age, so I buy different versions of his favorite movies," Seungyoun explains as he scans the many titles. "Most of them are just Korean and English, but some are Mandarin and Portuguese too."

"Why those languages specifically?" Hangyul's eyebrows furrow in confusion. English is a useful language to learn, and even Mandarin makes sense, but Portuguese is an interesting language to teach a child growing up in South Korea.

The man looks away from the selection to grin at him, a certain smugness in his smile, "I speak all four, so I can help him if he gets confused. My mom thinks we should get some in Japanese too, but I don't want to completely overload him. He mostly just watches the Korean and English versions right now."

"You speak Portuguese?"

"Mhm," Seungyoun hums like it's no big deal, "I lived in Brazil for a few years."

That's certainly not what Hangyul was expecting, but he finds himself intrigued. Despite the months he's spent crushing on Seungyoun, he's never put much thought into the man's background. It makes him all the more interesting, and now Hangyul wants to skip the movie in favor of just questioning him about his past.

He doesn't get the chance, however, as Seungyoun disrupts his thoughts, "Wanna hear something funny?” He doesn’t wait for an answer and just grabs one of the Disney movies to show him, “The Brazilian version of _Coco_ is actually called "_Viva: a vida é uma festa_" because the word 'coco' sounds too similar to the Portuguese word for 'poop'."

Again, not what Hangyul is expecting, but it makes him laugh anyway.)

They end up deciding on one of Dohyon's current favorites, _Zootopia_. They've watched the movie at the daycare before, on a rainy day like this one, but he was too focused on the kids to pay any attention to the story. The second time around, he finds that he really enjoys it, but what he enjoys even more is the toddler's reactions to it.

For starters, every single time the fox character, Nick, comes on screen, Dohyon looks at Seungyoun and laughs. They don't receive any explanation for it, but by the end of the movie, Hangyul realizes that it's because the man has features similar to a fox. He's never really noticed it before, but when looking back and forth between Seungyoun and the character, the resemblance is pretty clear.

(Seungyoun doesn't let his son get away with his teasing. As soon as a hamster pops up on screen, he reaches over to pinch Dohyon's cheek, holding on until the boy squeals and kicks him away.

They also point out that Hangyul looks like one of the wolf characters, but he doesn't see the resemblance.)

Dohyon also spends a lot of time telling Hangyul what he _thinks_ will happen next, pretending that he's never seen the movie before, just so he can be complimented for guessing correctly when it happens a scene later.

("I think they gonna see a sloth," Dohyon confidently announces at one point. Just as he says, the next scene includes a DMV full of sloths. He looks over to Hangyul with a bright look in his eyes, waiting for him to comment on his accuracy.

"Wow," Hangyul gives the boy an expression that he hopes looks both surprised and impressed. "I can't believe you guessed that!"

"Yeah," Dohyon smiles to himself, feeling proud, and turns back to the TV.

Seungyoun snorts from his side of the couch, "You've seen this movie a million times, right, Do?"

"Yeah," the boy repeats, although his voice is smaller the second time around.)

By the time the movie ends, Dohyon is ready for a nap, barely able to keep his eyes open even though he's wiggling along to the music in the credits. It's painfully adorable, especially when he makes grabby hands at his dad and asks to be carried to bed.

While Seungyoun is laying Dohyon down for a nap, Hangyul is left sitting awkwardly in the living room. Having a toddler between them is almost like having a buffer; every time there's a lull in conversation, Dohyon is there to act as a distraction. Now that he'll be asleep, leaving the two adults to talk completely on their own for the first time, Hangyul's anxiety starts to bubble up again.

On one hand, he wants the opportunity to talk with Seugyoun one-on-one, looking forward to learning more about him. But on the other, he's afraid that they won't know what to say, and will fall into an uncomfortable silence.

Hangyul pushes himself up off of the couch, wandering around the living room to hopefully burn off some of his nervous energy. He decides to take another look at the pictures lining the walls; the first time around, he only gave them a quick glance, and hasn't really thought about them since then. But now that he's taking the time to examine each one, he starts to notice certain faces that appear in multiple frames.

A handful of the pictures feature a very pretty man with big eyes behind a pair of round glasses and hair that looks extremely soft. In almost all of them, he's leaning on Seungyoun, and in the few that he isn't, Dohyon is clinging to him like a spider-monkey. There's an attractive man with a pointed nose who appears a couple of times too, always with the same gentle smile. And then there's one Christmas photo of Seungyoun and Dohyon sitting in front of a tree, both dawning Santa hats, with a woman in between them wearing reindeer antlers.

The more he looks at the photograph, the more he realizes that the woman looks even more like Dohyon than Seungyoun does. The boy is basically her spitting image, sporting the same chubby cheeks and an identical grin. She looks young too, probably around the same age as Seungyoun, if not a little younger. He's never thought to ask about Dohyon's other family, knowing that it isn't his place, but as he squints at the picture, he can't help but assume…

"That's his mother."

Hangyul jumps at the voice behind him. He didn't even hear Seungyoun close the bedroom door or walk down the hall. He turns around to face the man, "Sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"It's not a touchy subject, you don't have to apologize."

"Ah," Hangyul nods. They fall into an awkward silence—just what he had been worrying about—, so he looks back at the picture and offers what he thinks is an inoffensive comment, "He looks a lot like her."

Seungyoun chuckles as he takes a seat on the couch, "Yeah, he really does. He's lucky he didn't get saddled with my looks."

"What's wrong with the way you look? You're an attractive guy," Hangyul finds himself saying without much thought. A blush creeps up his neck when he realizes what he just said, but it's too late to take it back.

"You think so?" The man sounds smug, and if Hangyul dared to look at him, he would probably find an expression that matched. "Well, thanks. That's a pretty big confidence boost coming from you."

For a few seconds, Hangyul's mind goes blank. He isn't sure what he's supposed to take from that. It _sounds_ like Seungyoun just called him attractive too, but he feels lightheaded at the thought of that, so he doesn't want to consider it. Instead, he finds himself asking, "So, you and his mom aren't together anymore?"

"We never really were," Seungyoun says it casually enough to ease Hangyul's nerves about breaking a sore subject. "We were always just close friends, but we— you know," he clears his throat, "got together a few times. And that's where Dohyon came from."

The wording of it makes Hangyul chuckle. He feels a little weird standing in the middle of the room, so he takes his original seat on the couch again. "Ah, yeah, that'll do it."

There's a beat before Seungyoun makes eye contact, suddenly serious, "Don't mention any of this to him, okay? I haven't told him yet."

Hangyul frowns. In the picture, they look like a happy family spending Christmas together, so it's a little confusing that Dohyon doesn't know.

Sensing his perplexion, Seungyoun explains, "She's not ready to be a mom. We tried at first, with the both of us raising him together, but she knew within a few months that she couldn't do it. She loves him, though, and she wants to be involved in his life, so… now she's his auntie who shows up for holidays."

Hangyul knew the man wasn't married, but he never would have expected that their family situation would be so _different_. He can't think of many people who would let the parent of their child completely walk away from their responsibilities, but still happily allow them stick around in some capacity. He doesn't even think he would do that himself. Either Seungyoun is one of the kindest people on Earth, or he's a total pushover.

"I still don't know if I'm ever going to tell him," Seungyoun continues. He sounds vulnerable, now holding onto his legs to curl into a ball. Hangyul is overwhelmed by the urge to hold the man to his chest. "I feel like it'll hurt him in the future. If she ever settles down and has more kids, I'm worried that he'll start to think he wasn't good enough for her. And I never want him to feel that way."

Hangyul knows exactly how it feels to think just that, and he wholeheartedly agrees that it's a feeling Dohyon never deserves to experience. "I think, as long as he knows he's loved, he'll know that isn't the case… and you do an amazing job making him feel loved."

Seungyoun's eyes practically twinkle. He's beginning to notice that compliments about his parenting put literal stars in the man's eyes. "I try, I really do. And he knows that not all families are the same. I've explained to him that some kids have a mom and a dad, or just a mom or a dad, or maybe two moms or two dads." He lets out a forced laugh, "So maybe he'll be okay with a dad and a mom who acts like his aunt."

It's not easy being a single parent, everyone knows that, but Seungyoun always seems so _happy_ about it. Sure, he needs some help here and there, but he's doing well on his own. So to hear his worries and see his insecurities written all over his face, it hurts Hangyul's heart. He just wants to reach over and hold the man's hand, but he stays put.

"Honestly, you're one of the most involved parents I've met, and Dohyon clearly loves you, so I have a feeling he'll be okay," Hangyul offers. 

Seungyoun gives him a closed mouthed smile, and even though it's nowhere near as bright as his usual grin, it still feels genuine. "Thank you, Hangyul. I don't think you realize how much that means to me."

"I'm just being honest here." Hangyul smiles back at him, hoping to lighten the mood when he says, "If you could just show up to daycare on time, you'd be the perfect parent."

That produces a real laugh from Seungyoun, who reaches over to playfully smack Hangyul's shoulder, "Shut up. You know you love getting to hang out with us at the end of the day. I bet our talks are the best part of your job."

"Yeah, you're probably right about that." Hangyul doesn't know why he says that, but Seungyoun gives him the most beautiful smile in return, and that makes his unintentional honesty worth it.

"Enough about me," Seungyoun shifts closer to him, his posture relaxing. "Why did you become a daycare teacher? What's _really_ the best part of it?"

He wasn't expecting to talk about himself, but he knows now that he can't say no to Seungyoun. He subconsciously leans closer to match the other. "The simple answer is that I love kids. I grew up in an orphanage, and I can remember even back then, I used to spend a lot of my time watching the younger kids."

"Oh," Seungyoun blinks at him. "I didn't know that. It must have been really difficult."

It's the typical reaction he recieves when he talks about his childhood, so Hangyul just brushes it off, "It's no big deal. I was adopted when I was seven, and my family is really amazing, so they were worth the wait. But that's definitely when I realized that I wanted to work with kids."

Seungyoun nods in understanding, really focusing on Hangyul's words. He appreciates how interested he seems. It makes him feel special, like the other finds him fascinating. "Because you grew up with so many younger kids around?"

"That, and it made me realize how important it is to have adults that care for you at such a young age," he explains. "We had plenty of people looking after us, but not a lot of them really made personal connections. They were probably just being careful; they didn't want to get attached to certain kids and then never see them again when they got adopted."

The other man hums, encouraging him to continue. 

Hangyul rests his arm on the back of the couch, "Not all kids have great lives at home—they depend on adults outside of their family to guide them. Usually, that falls on their teachers."

"So you want to form personal relationships with kids who need the support?"

"I think I just want to be an important influence in their lives, and if that means supporting them, then I’m happy to do it," Hangyul says. Honestly, that's been his goal from day one. He loves being around the kids and seeing them grow. It's fun to watch them learn, absorbing new information every day and using that to develop their personalities. And they can be a great source of entertainment, always laughing and joking and being cute. But the best part of his job is being able to encourage that growth, and show them right from wrong.

"I know that none of them are actually going to remember me when they grow up," he admits, a small frown taking over his features. That might be the worst part of his job: they're all so young, once they leave and enter grade school, he'll just be a distant memory to them. Maybe some kids will remember certain activities they did, or games they played, but it's not likely that they'll be able to recall _Teacher Gyul_ ten years down the road. "But if I can teach them important life lessons now, even if they're as simple as 'sharing is caring', then I'm helping them grow into good human beings. That's probably the best part of it all."

"Hangyul, you're an amazing teacher to those kids. I'm sure they're going to remember you," Seungyoun's tone is comforting but confident, like he knows that for a fact. The sound of it warms Hangyul's insides.

A little distracted by his own thoughts, he hadn't noticed how much closer Seungyoun has moved toward him. When they had Dohyon in between them, the small distance didn't seem like a big deal, but without him, they might as well be on the same cushion.

"Thank you," Hangyul's voice sounds distant to his own ears. He's too focused on Seungyoun's body so close to his. He can practically feel the heat radiating off of him, and he doesn't know if that should thrill him or fluster him.

A hand touches the arm Hangyul has resting on the back of the couch, his whole body tensing at the sudden contact. He searches Seungyoun's expression for some kind of hint, just a little clue as to what he's thinking, and all he can find is a gentle fondness that he doesn't understand.

It's the kind of look he's seen Seungyoun give Dohyon hundreds of times. So why is he looking at him that way?

"Um, hyung," Hangyul's mouth feels dry when he realizes that Seungyoun's face is getting closer.

He stops when his face is a mere ten centimeters away. The smirk he puts on is distracting, pulling Hangyul's attention down to the man's lips. Even his voice shifts into a teasing tone when he replies, "Yes, Hangyul?"

By now, his face is on fire, and his pulse is quick enough to be concerning. He's hit by a tiny dizzy spell, which could probably be attributed to the fact that he's been holding his breath for the last ten seconds. 

If he didn't know any better, he would think that Seungyoun is considering kissing him. The way he’s leaning in, staring Hangyul down with an undefined look in his eyes, makes it the most logical conclusion he can come up with. But that would be insane. His crush is one-sided, and he's well aware of that, so his brain has to be playing a trick on him, giving him the chance to live out his delusions. That’s the only explanation for it.

Hangyul shifts his arm, cautiously pulling it further away from the other, "What are you—?"

"Lunch time!"

The screaming toddler running down the hallway effectively frightens both of them, jumping back to regain their original distance.

Dohyon—sweet, precious, innocent Dohyon—doesn't have a care in the world, ignoring the strange reaction from both adults and leaping onto the couch with them. He wiggles around, full of post-nap energy, and the tension in the air disperses.

"Alright, baby," Seungyoun transform back into his usual self. All signs of their interaction melts away as he smiles at the boy. The only tell that anything was about to happen is the dark blush he's sporting. He stands from the couch, casts a lingering gaze in Hangyul's direction, and heads to the kitchen.

Unsure of what to do, Hangyul ignores the itching of nerves under his skin and smiles at Dohyon, "Did you sleep well, buddy?"

"Yeah," Dohyon stands up on the couch. His excitement for food is giving him questionable balance, so he holds onto Hangyul's shoulder for stability. He looks at the man with wide eyes when he asks, "Is it still raining?"

The question reminds him that he's still in their apartment for a reason. One glance at the window tells him that the rain has passed, and although the sky isn't clear, it doesn't look like it'll start again soon. Does this mean he's overstayed his welcome?

"It looks like the rain is gone, so I should get probably going."

Seungyoun spins to look at him again, eyes wider than usual, "So soon? Don't you want to stay for lunch?" Once again, if he didn’t know any better, he would think the man sounds upset by the suggestion.

This prompts Dohyon to grab hold of his arm, tugging on it with a pout, "Please stay!"

His gut reaction is to give in, not strong enough to withstand both the father and son asking him to stay, but his mind says that he needs to go. He isn't totally sure of what just happened between him and Seungyoun, but he has an inkling of where things may have been headed. It’s impossible to know if he was imagining things or not, and right now, he needs time to think it all over before he implodes.

"Maybe next time, okay?" His words are directed more toward Dohyon, but it's his dad who shows more of a reaction.

"Are you sure?" Seungyoun enters the living room again, hands fidgeting with a bottle of juice. When he asks his next question, the look in his eyes shift to something more concerned, "You're not uncomfortable or anything, are you?"

That sets off a little alarm in Hangyul’s brain, and he takes a moment to think it over. If Seungyoun is worried that he’s uncomfortable, it means he recognizes that he might have done something to cause the discomfort. Which means he really could have been moving in for a kiss like Hangyul originally thought. But that doesn’t make sense, because if that’s the case…

His head is starting to hurt just thinking about it.

There are a few emotions he's experiencing right now—most noticeably, he's feeling an intense mixture of confusion and elation—but he doesn't feel _uncomfortable_. So, to ease the other's worries, he smiles and tells him as much, "I'm not uncomfortable, hyung."

Seungyoun's expression relaxes at that. "Okay," he nods, moving to get his wallet, "but I'm holding you to that 'next time'."

"You won't have to," Hangyul helps Dohyon off of the couch before he meets Seungyoun at the door. "I love hanging out with Dohyon, and I don't usually pass up free food. This is a one time thing."

The man's face lights up again, grinning, "Are you sure it's only Dohyon you love hanging out with?"

"I don't know. I'm still deciding," Hangyul quips, feeling brave.

When he takes the bills from Seungyoun, their hands linger for a few seconds too long. The older man gives a sly wink that makes his heart skip a beat.

Not wanting to turn bright red again, he gathers his things, says goodbye to Dohyon, and hurries out of the apartment. From behind the closed door, he can hear Seungyoun chuckling. 

It's embarrassing to admit, but Hangyul walks home with a skip in his step.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just want to thank everyone for reading this story! it makes me really happy to know that so many of you are enjoying it so far~


	3. Chapter 3

Hangyul isn't sure what he was expecting to happen after his almost-maybe-kiss with Seungyoun, but he was hopeful that _something_ would.

It's been more than a week since the incident, and unfortunately, not much about their dynamic has changed. Neither of them have even dared to bring it up again. The only conversations they've had since then have taken place after daycare, and as lovely as their colorful classroom is, it's not the best setting to talk in. Now that the weather is too cold to stand around outside all afternoon, they have to wait inside for Seungyoun to show up—and while Yohan does his best to seem disinterested, it's still weird to discuss something so personal with his coworker hanging around.

He also has to remember that he isn't completely sure of what happened between them. He thinks Seungyoun wanted to kiss him—hell, he _hopes_ that was the case—but they were interrupted before they could do anything. And sure, the man seemed flirty afterward, even winking at him on his way out, but that's just how the older man is.

For all he knows, the moment meant nothing to Seungyoun, and his stupid heart is just holding on to the hope that it did.

The more time that passes, the more likely that seems. He's starting to resign himself to the fact that it was all in his head, and he's letting delusions get the best of him. It hurts to admit, but it's the only reasonable explanation.

But then, just as he's starting to give up, Dohyon decides to reignite a flame in his heart.

"Please write," the boy says one day during class, waving a piece of paper around in front of Hangyul's face.

Confused by the request, he takes the paper and studies its contents. It's a drawing (a very crude one) of multiple blobs and squiggles. He can't really tell what exactly it's supposed to be, but he doesn't want to hurt Dohyon's feelings, so he just says, "This looks great, buddy!"

Dohyon gives him a bright, toothy grin and climbs into the tiny chair next to him, "It's my family!"

"Oh," Hangyul nods. He squints at the picture, trying to figure out what he's looking at now that he's been _told_, but it still just looks like a collection of scribbles. "What do you need me to write?"

"Names," Dohyon replies simply.

As Hangyul goes to retrieve a pen, he hopes that the toddler plans to supply the names and doesn't expect him to know just by looking at it. Setting the drawing down on the table, he readies himself for directions.

There are four blobs at the bottom of the page, side by side. One is smaller than the others, and they each have scribbles on top that he assumes is supposed to resemble hair. It looks like one of them is wearing glasses, or just has really large eyes. He notes that there are little lines connecting the figures together, almost like they're holding hands. On the top half of the page, three more blobs are spaced out, all pretty small in size compared to the rest.

Dohyon points to the tiny one at the bottom, "Me!"

Hangyul writes the child's name just above the blob's head. Then he hovers his pen over the one next to it.

"Daddy," Dohyon informs him, and when he finishes writing that, he points to the one that looks like it's wearing glasses. It appears that this one is holding hands with Seungyoun, if that’s what those lines are supposed to be. "Uncle Seokie."

He has no idea who Uncle Seokie is; the boy has never mentioned the name before. But it's not his place to question who Dohyon thinks of as family, so he writes it down and moves on to the three at the top.

"Grandma, Auntie, Uncle Snoopy," he lists, stubby fingers pointing to each one as he goes.

Based on what Seungyoun had told him, Hangyul assumes that Auntie is the boy's mother, but once again, he has no idea who Uncle Snoopy is—but he does have a sneaking suspicion that it's not actually his given name. As he scribbles down the names, he wonders if the uncles in his drawing were the men he remembers seeing in those picture frames.

There's only one more figure he needs to label, standing opposite Seungyoun on Dohyon's right side—whoever it's supposed to be, they must be on a similar level to Seungyoun in the boy's eyes. He points the pen at the blob, "And who is this one?"

Dohyon looks confused by the question, almost like he thought Hangyul was stupid for not recognizing the person right away. With an adorable pout on his face, he whines at his teacher, "That's you!"

Hangyul blinks at the child and then down at the drawing, "This one? The one holding your hand?"

"Yeah," Dohyon sounds a little offended that he didn't realize it on his own.

It's not a surprise to Hangyul that the sentiment makes him emotional, butterflies releasing inside his chest and bringing a smile to his face. But he isn't expecting to feel an unfamiliar burning behind his eyes; he's a sensitive guy, but he's never been the type to _cry_. As far as his memory serves, the last time he felt this touched might have been the day his mom asked if she could adopt him.

"Oh," his voice cracks on just that single syllable, which is not a good sign. At least Dohyon is too focused on his drawing to realize that his teacher is tearing up. He writes his own name above the figure and quickly hands the picture back to its owner. "There you go, bud."

"Thanks!" Dohyon wraps himself around Hangyul's arm, giving it a tight hug before he runs off to show the picture to his friends.

Not for the first time this week, Hangyul's mind is brought back to his conversation with Seungyoun, but this time around, his focus is more on the _conversation_ than it is on _Seungyoun_.

All he really hopes for is to positively influence the children and give them the tools they'll need to move on to the next step of their life. He wants to make sure they're all learning as much as they can, treating everyone they meet with respect, and are as happy as they can be. Really, as long as he can leave a lasting impression on them, he'll be pleased. But he never once thought that a child would become so attached to him that they would view him as _family_.

Growing up, he always wondered if he would ever have a family of his own, and now he's being welcomed by Dohyon into a new one. He's a little overwhelmed by the intense wave of emotions that hit him.

Hangyul moves quickly to excuse himself from the room. He's prepared to lock himself in the bathroom for the next five minutes to compose himself, but Yohan catches him before he gets the chance.

"Dude, are you crying?" His voice sounds stunned even when asked in a whisper too quiet for the kids to hear.

Hangyul shakes his head, his voice scratchy when he speaks, "No, it's just allergies."

"It's winter," Yohan deadpans, not prying, but obviously not putting up with his bullshit excuse.

He huffs, frustrated that the other called him out on the lie instead of taking pity on him and letting him leave, "It's no big deal. I'm just—" His voice trails off, considering another lie, but he decides to be honest in the end, "Dohyon drew a picture of his family and I was in it. He even had us holding hands."

Yohan is a pretty sensitive guy too. He fawns over the kids and gets flustered over silly things and once cried while watching a video of a puppy, so he expects the other to understand. But Yohan is also one of his closest friends, and the urge to tease Hangyul must be too strong for him to overlook.

"Oh my God," Yohan chuckles, but it's not unkind. He seems more amused than anything. "You're so whipped."

He pouts, voice bordering on a whine, "Shut up, this is a big deal for me."

"Sorry," the other holds his hands up in surrender. He's still smiling, but it looks softer now. "I know it is. I'm just saying, I've never seen you cry before."

"It's really heartwarming," Hangyul mutters defensively. "I didn't realize how much I meant to him."

Yohan gives him a comforting pat on the back, "We already knew that he likes you more than me, and now you're getting closer to him with the babysitting. It makes sense that he would feel that way."

"I knew we were getting closer, but I guess I just assumed the affection was more of a one-way thing."

Kids are clingy, and they can get easily attached, Hangyul knows this. But usually, the attachment is pretty shallow, especially with children as young as Dohyon. Once someone is out of their sight, they don’t really think about them until they appear again. To consider Hangyul a part of his small family, it means the toddler really cares about him and expects him to be around for a long time.

The realization hits him almost like an epiphany. He's spent so much time focusing on deepening his connection with Seungyoun, he feels guilty for not noticing the strengthening of his relationship with Dohyon.

As important as growing closer to Seungyoun has been to him, he's aware now that his bond with Dohyon is just as significant.

The urge to cry is finally fading, so Hangyul clears his throat, "It just sounds really nice… being a part of their family, I mean."

"Maybe one day you will be," Yohan's smile is still warm, but there's something else there that he can't really place—something a little like compassion and concern.

Hangyul's brain tells him not to get too hopeful, but his heart latches onto those words anyway.

Dohyon's drawing ends up being exactly the kind of push that Hangyul needs. He doesn't want to beat around the bush forever, and if Seungyoun refuses to acknowledge it, then he'll just have to bring it up himself.

He's asked to watch Dohyon again later that week, and decides that it's the perfect chance to discuss everything with Seungyoun. The man is going out for drinks to celebrate a friend's birthday, and he doesn't plan on getting back until almost midnight. By then, Dohyon will be fast asleep, and the two of them will be free to talk things over without interruption.

That afternoon, before he has to head over to the apartment, Hangyul prepares himself with a cup of coffee. It does nothing to help with his nerves, but at least it guarantees that he won't have a repeat of last time. Even if his anxiety is high enough to make him doubt that he'll be able to fall asleep there, it never hurts to take precautionary measures.

(He even gives himself a pep-talk on his way there, despite knowing that they won't be alone until much later that night.)

When he shows up, the confidence he was trying to build begins to waver. Seungyoun is as friendly as ever—he doesn't think the other even knows how to be rude—but it's obvious that he's refusing to meet Hangyul's gaze.

"I'll probably be home late," the man reminds him, but he stays busy by washing up the dishes from Dohyon's dinner. He's barely even looked in Hangyul's direction since he arrived, and it's starting to make him nervous. "So you might be sitting around for a little while after you put him to bed."

"That's fine, hyung," Hangyul hovers in the living room, watching from a comfortable distance. There's something off about him, and he doesn't want to make it any worse. "You have Netflix and I have a phone. I'm sure I'll survive."

When Seungyoun finishes up, he finally gives Hangyul a smile. It's not his usual grin, bordering on nervous, but Hangyul will take what he can get. "Try not to fall asleep this time, alright?"

"I came prepared this time," he chuckles. "I had some coffee before I came over."

"That's a smart idea," Seungyoun nods. He doesn't give Hangyul the chance to continue, cutting the conversation short as his attention shifts to his son. Dohyon is, unsurprisingly, curled up on the couch again, and the man interrupts his TV watching with a hug. "Be good, okay?"

"Okay," Dohyon sounds tired, like he's sick of being reminded to behave every time his dad leaves—or maybe he's just annoyed that his dad is blocking his view. He gives Seungyoun a sloppy kiss on the cheek and returns to his show almost immediately.

"He's upset that we ran out of ice cream," Seungyoun explains. He quickly crosses the room, buzzing with nervous energy, and gathers his things to leave. "My mom made cookies yesterday, so he can have two of those for dessert instead."

"Alright."

The conversation feels so formal, Seungyoun not even sparing a glance in Hangyul's direction, and it makes his heart sink. He knows that there's probably a good reason for his odd behavior, like maybe he's just having an off day, or he's worried that he won't get to the bar on time, but it still stings when Seungyoun throws a quick goodbye over his shoulder and hurries out the door.

Refusing to dwell on the nerves bubbling up in his chest, Hangyul jumps right into interacting with Dohyon. It's an easy distraction and a fool-proof way to cheer himself up. He pauses whatever the toddler is watching, pulls out a bucket of toys, and asks if they can play together.

Like the angel he is, Dohyon readily agrees, picking out some dolls and declaring that they can play "daddy and baby".

The game, much like the name suggests, revolves around two toys who are father and son. Dohyon decides that his character (who Hangyul thinks he recognizes as a Disney prince) will be the dad, and Hangyul's (a much shorter doll that's actually a green alien) can be the baby.

It's obvious that Dohyon draws from his own experiences to play the game, making his toy do everything that he sees his dad doing on a daily basis. This includes waking Hangyul's doll up at the start of the day, dropping him off at school, and going to work. There isn't actually much that Hangyul can make the baby do, mostly just following along with what Dohyon wants, but it still manages to lessen some of his nerves.

It also helps that Seungyoun's relationship with Dohyon will never not be adorable. Just through playing this game, it's clear exactly how much his dad means to him. In the half an hour that they play, Dohyon's toy must give at least two dozen kisses to the little alien. He makes the baby dinner, tucks him into bed, and says "I love you" every few minutes.

By the time they finish up the game, it's very obvious to Hangyul that Dohyon's bond with his father is one of the strongest he's ever seen. Every little thing that Seungyoun does throughout the day, his son tries to emulate with the toy, and he does it with the proudest look on his face. It's impossible not to be touched by how much Dohyon looks up to the man. Hangyul doesn't know if he'll ever have a son of his own, but if he does, he can only hope to be half the dad that Seungyoun is.

After they wrap up their game, the rest of the night goes by pretty quickly.

Dohyon takes interest in Hangyul's phone when he pulls it out to check the time, which leads them to spend a good while taking pictures together. Every time the camera is pointed at him, Dohyon holds up a peace signs and grins, which in turn makes Hangyul smile as well. They eventually end up on the SNOW app, scrolling through the goofiest filters they can find and giggling as their faces are edited and distorted. By the time they finish, there must be a hundred new photos saved to his camera roll.

They eat a few cookies for dessert and end up watching television again, just to give Hangyul a break. The episode they watch involves the Paw Patrol cast going on an underwater rescue, which eventually ends in Dohyon desperately wanting to take a bath. Seungyoun never gave him instructions for bathtime, but he figures there's no harm in letting the boy splash around in water and bubbles before bedtime.

The bath creates more of a mess than Hangyul had anticipated, but at least it does a good job of tiring out the toddler. It only takes a couple of minutes before the boy falls asleep, still warm from his bath and sleepy from all of his splashing. This time around, he doesn't turn off the light when he puts Dohyon to bed. Sure, it might be a waste of electricity, but he feels like there's a smaller chance of the kid having a nightmare with the light on.

Like last time, Hangyul uses his time alone to clean up the place. He has to wipe down the bathroom tiles, put away toys, and rearrange the cushions on the couch, but he likes having something to do. Because the alternative, he finds, is sitting in the living room with a ball of nerves swirling in his stomach as he waits for Seungyoun to come home.

For the most part, he distracts himself with his phone. He scrolls through social media, uses up his data by quietly watching YouTube videos, and even picks out his favorite selfie with Dohyon to set as his new lockscreen. But in the end, he decides to put on a movie that he doesn't really care about, just to give his mind something to do.

It's nearing midnight when Hangyul is startled by the sound of a key fitting into a lock.

He's quick to shut off the TV, steeling himself to sit the other down for a much needed chat. His mind briefly flits back to the man's behavior hours before, to the way Seungyoun skirted around any real conversation, but he doesn't let that rock him. He just wants to know _why_ Seungyoun almost kissed him, if that’s even what he was trying to do. He's also curious about why the topic hasn't been breached yet, but that's less important.

Hangyul stands up as the door opens, prepared to greet Seungyoun and dive headfirst into the conversation, but he's surprised to find two people entering the apartment.

He’s greeted by the sight of Seungyoun slumped up against a smaller man, holding on to him like a koala, and dragging his feet as they step inside. He doesn't give his usual greeting, instead going right into trying to kick off his shoes without having to bend down. He's very clearly drunk, eyes glossy as he wears a dumb smile that makes Hangyul's heart flutter.

(He realizes then that he truly is as whipped as Yohan claims, finding even the expression of a heavily intoxicated Seungyoun to be adorable.)

The other man in the doorway is a face Hangyul recognizes from the photos on the walls. He's the pretty glasses-wearing brunette pictured in a few different photos. He has a similar pair of circular glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, but in person, it's easy to see that they don't actually have lenses in them. Despite being much shorter than Seungyoun, he's practically supporting all of the man's weight—even in his confused state, Hangyul has to admit that it's impressive.

"Oh! Hello," the stranger greets him with a soft smile and an even softer voice. "You must be Hangyul."

"Yeah, that's me," Hangyul supplies awkwardly. He doesn't know if he should be happy that Seungyoun has told this man who he is, or if it's normal to tell people the name of your babysitter. "It's nice to meet you—…"

"Wooseok," the man shifts his weight from one foot to the other, wrapping an arm around Seungyoun's waist to keep him balanced.

The name sounds familiar, and it takes a few seconds for Hangyul to register why. Dohyon had him label an "Uncle Seokie" on his picture—the blob with the glasses who had been holding Seungyoun's hand—and he's willing to bet that's who Wooseok is. That realization causes a strange heaviness in his stomach.

"It's nice to finally meet you. Dohyon talks about you a lot," Wooseok explains, and even with the unexplained uneasy feeling he's experiencing, that information still makes him smile. The other man gestures in Seungyoun's direction, "Sorry about the commotion, but _someone_ had a bit too much liquid courage tonight."

He opens his mouth to speak, curious as to what Seungyoun needed courage for in the first place, but is cut off by the drunken man himself. He starts whispering in Wooseok's ear, a little too loudly, only to pull away with a childish giggle. Hangyul can’t make out many of the words, but he definitely heard "cute" thrown in there somewhere.

Seungyoun's face is still flushed from too many drinks, Hangyul notes, and he's struggling to stand up on his own. That would explain why Wooseok is doing his best to hold him upright. But the way he's draped against the other's body, an arm hooked around his neck, seems a little too intimate for Hangyul's taste.

"Shut up," Wooseok hisses to the man from under his breath. There's no heat behind him it—in fact, it actually sounds pretty amused. He's acting like this is everyday behavior, like Seungyoun is always clinging to him like a damsel in distress.

Seungyoun presses his face into the crook of Wooseok's neck to muffle his laughter, and Hangyul's heart drops.

Slowly but surely, the puzzle pieces are fitting together in his head. The obvious comfort Seungyoun feels around Wooseok, the sense of intimacy they seem to share, the way he's holding onto him like a possessive boyfriend, the little stick hands holding on to each other in Dohyon's blob drawing…

It's all starting to make sense, and it causes a deep, unfamiliar ache in his chest.

It dawns on him that Seungyoun hasn't brought up their almost-kiss because it didn't actually happen. It was just a friendly conversation between two people, and Hangyul's brain decided to put on a pair of rose-colored glasses that made him see otherwise. He convinced himself that Seungyoun was going to kiss him because that's what he's been dreaming of for months. There's no way that it could have been true if Seungyoun has a _boyfriend_. It's obvious now that Hangyul's feelings for the man have been causing delusions.

He suddenly wants to go home.

"I, um, should probably get going," Hangyul's throat feels tight, but he still forces the words out. He averts his gaze from the couple too, feeling like he's intruding; it's the same feeling he used to get around Seungyoun and Dohyon, and he hates that it's returned.

"It is pretty late," Wooseok agrees. He's probably ready for Hangyul to leave so he can spend the rest of the night with Seungyoun. "Are you going to be fine heading home on your own?"

Of course an angel like Seungyoun would find someone just as kind as him to date. Their interaction so far as been extremely short, but he can still tell that Wooseok is a sweet guy. He's attractive too, so they make a nice couple, even if he doesn’t want to admit it.

"I don't live too far from here," he shrugs, glancing around the room like he's looking for his jacket. It's hanging up by the door, right next to Seungyoun, but at least the fake search gives him an excuse to avoid eye contact. "You just worry about taking care of him."

Wooseok laughs and even the sound of it is pretty, "I've got plenty of experience with his drunken ass, so I should be fine."

Hangyul gives him a smile, just because it's the polite thing to do. He may be stuck in his feelings, but neither of the men have done anything wrong. "Well, I better head out," he tries again. He's reminded of the last time he was in the apartment, but his heart feels much heavier this time around.

Seungyoun mumbles something, but his words are too quiet and too slurred for Hangyul to understand. Whatever it is, it earns him a pinch on the side from Wooseok.

"Stop it," Seungyoun chuckles, squirming away from the other man. He uses the wall to keep his balance and starts stumbling down the hallway, "I'm gonna say goodnight to Do."

"Don't you dare wake up my baby," Wooseok warns after him in a stern tone. 

_His baby_, Hangyul's brain repeats. Dohyon is Seungyoun's baby, and now he's apparently Wooseok's baby too. That means he'll never be Hangyul's baby, which manages to sting just as much as the realization that his crush isn't single.

Wooseok shoots him another smile in lieu of a farewell and takes off down the hall to stop Seungyoun from bothering the sleeping child.

Hangyul is left standing in the living room, wondering if he should even bother asking for the night's payment. He ends up deciding against it when he hears Wooseok trying to coax Seungyoun to go to bed with him. Grabbing his jacket, he's quick to flee the apartment, hoping to save himself from hearing any more. His heart has taken enough blows for one evening.

He walks home with his hands stuffed into his pockets, shoulders slumped forward in disappointment. He doesn't even think about the conversation he had planned for Seungyoun. All he can do is wonder how the hell he's going to get over the man before he falls in too deep.

As it turns out, Hangyul deals with his issues by pretending that they don't exist. Is it a good way to cope with negative emotions? No. But it works out well for him at first.

In the days following his revelation, he doesn't want to face Seungyoun. There's a deep-seated embarrassment that he just can't shake, and all he really wants to do is hide away in his apartment until he gets over it. Plus, interacting with the man isn't going to help him get over his crush; every time he sees Seungyoun, he falls a little harder for him.

But Hangyul has a job to do, and he doesn't think he can handle being away from the kids for too long. They make him happy, which is exactly what he needs in such a moment of heartbreak.

He also realizes that, although it would help him move on faster, avoiding Seungyoun isn't something he really wants to do. His heart may be hurting, but it's his own fault for catching feelings. The other man doesn't deserve to be treated any differently because Hangyul's imagination got out of hand.

He comes to the conclusion that he should just keep his conversations with Seungyoun short. He still goes out of his way to smile and act like everything is fine, still stays present in their interactions, but keeps his distance, trying to give his heart a little time to heal.

A few days in, he even turns down a babysitting request for the first time, but manages to cover it up with an excuse he pulls out of his ass. Although the other man seems disappointed, he doesn't mention it or push for a further explanation. Hangyul isn't even sure if Seungyoun has noticed the sudden shift in his demeanor.

Yohan, on the other hand, recognizes that something is wrong right away.

"What's going on with you?" He questions Hangyul one day, just after Seungyoun and Dohyon have left. "You've been acting weird all week."

There are two obvious answers that he can give: he can either tell his friend the truth, or he can lie and say that nothing is wrong. The latter sounds more appealing in the moment—Hangyul never even told Yohan about what he thought happened between them, and if he's honest about it, it'll only lead to more questions. He also doesn't want to paint Seungyoun in a bad light, knowing that his friend would automatically take his side. The loyalty Yohan shows toward him is appreciated, but it wouldn't be fair in this situation.

Even though lying sounds easier, he also doesn't want to completely brush everything off. Yohan already knows that _something_ is wrong; there's no way he'll believe such a bold lie. So he decides to make a third option, mixing the two together to create a half-truth.

"I know, I'm sorry," Hangyul frowns at the other as they clean up the classroom for the day. He's eager to finish up and head home so he can wallow in self-pity in peace. "It's my own fault. I misinterpreted something, and now I feel uncomfortable about it. But I'll be fine in a few days."

"Are you sure?" Yohan is understandably concerned, and it's written all over his face. It makes Hangyul feel guilty for making his friend worry. "What even happened? It's about Seungyoun, isn't it?"

Hangyul gives him a sad smile and a shrug, "No offense, but I'd rather not talk about it. It's probably best if I just bury everything until I get over it."

That clearly isn't the right thing to say, because Yohan stops collecting the toys on the floor to cross his arms over his chest, "Don't be dumb. I'm not gonna force you to talk about it, but you can't just ignore shit until it goes away. That's not how life works."

"Maybe it's how life works sometimes," Hangyul mutters defensively. He knows that Yohan is right, but he's too embarrassed to admit it.

The look Yohan gives him says that he isn't impressed, "I don't know what's going on if you don't tell me, but what I _do_ know is that you've been really happy since you started babysitting. And we both know why that's the case."

It's true; there are two very specific reasons why Hangyul has been so cheerful lately, and their names are Seungyoun and Dohyon.

"You said it was misinterpretation on your part, right? So why are you going to let something as stupid as a misunderstanding get in between you and what's making you happy?"

He really hates when Yohan sets aside his goofy attitude in favor of being brutally honest. But he also knows that, sometimes, he needs a second party to sit him down and tell him that he's being an idiot. And Yohan is pretty good at telling him he's an idiot.

The other is waiting for a response, but he doesn't have a good one, so he just gives a lazy shrug instead.

"Do me a favor," Yohan presses on, sounding much more serious than he usually does. "Let's pretend that Dohyon was someone else's kid—Seungyoun doesn't exist and he's got a plain old set of parents, but it's the same Dohyon. Would you still have fun babysitting him?"

It's hard for him to imagine one without the other, but the answer is obvious regardless. Hangyul fell for the toddler's charms before he even spoke to Seungyoun. Dohyon is the kind of kid that makes everyone around him fall in love—so sweet and cute and funny that it's impossible not to. He hasn't worked in childcare for very long, but Dohyon is the most entertaining kid he's ever met. Everything he does makes Hangyul smile, and that's enough of an answer for him.

"Of course I would."

Yohan must have expected that response, because he doesn't miss a beat before continuing, "Okay, now imagine that Seungyoun is still his dad, but you've never had feelings for him. Everything's the same as it is now, but you aren't interested in him at all. Would you still want to help him out?"

Once more, the answer is clear. Seungyoun is one of the most caring and involved parents he's ever seen. The way he interacts with his son puts everyone else to shame. On top of that, he shows the same kindness toward others as well. Seungyoun has never once treated him poorly, acting as though Hangyul is his friend rather than his child's teacher. He's an amazing person, and that wouldn't change in this imagined situation. Even if he were to set his romantic feelings aside, he knows that he would still do everything possible to lend a hand.

"Yeah," he admits with a sigh. No matter what hypothetical situation Yohan throws his way, he's positive that spending time with either of them would still make him just as happy. He likes being involved in a family's day-to-day life, even though the family isn't his own. It just feels nice to be included rather than watching the father and son from afar.

It's a feeling that he'll always treasure, no matter the circumstances—Yohan's imaginary scenarios quickly clear up any doubt he might be feeling about that.

"Alright, so let me ask again," Yohan speaks slowly, like he's really trying to hammer in his point. "Why are you gonna let something stupid get in the way of your happiness?"

Hangyul doesn't have an answer for that one.

It takes another day or so for Yohan's words to properly sink in, but by the time the weekend rolls around again, Hangyul feels motivated to set things straight. He just needs to clear the air, explain to Seungyoun exactly how he feels, and hope that the other man will continue to use him as a babysitter.

Whichever way the wind blows, he's now confident that he'll be able to carry on. He figures the worst that could happen is losing his side-gig and the opportunity to grow any closer to them, but at least he'll still be able to see them at daycare. He doesn't think that's likely, however, because Seungyoun has always been a benevolent man. He has faith that the other will be able to look passed his feelings and allow Hangyul to stick around—even if it's as an emergency sitter, he'll take what he can get. Both outcomes are tolerable, so all he really needs to do is hope for the best and get everything off of his chest.

The opportunity to talk with Seungyoun arises just as he comes to that conclusion. The man asks him to come for a few hours on Saturday, but doesn't give him a reason why he needs him to watch Dohyon. He just asks him to come over and really stresses that he has no other options, that Hangyul is the only one he can get to do it. Hangyul almost considers coming up with another excuse to give himself more time, but it kind of feels like the other is attempting to guilt him into agreeing, so he has no choice but to say yes.

He knows that it's better to just rip off the bandage anyway. Stalling any longer would give him the chance to talk himself out of it, and he's not willing to take that risk; he might as well do it while he's feeling confident about it.

Maybe it's because he's come to terms with the situation, but his trip to the apartment is much less stressful than it was last time. He doesn't feel the need to cheer himself on or calm his nerves—he just wants to get it all over with so he can move on. As he reaches the apartment, he steels himself to face Seungyoun, glad that he'll have a few hours before they can sit down and talk. It'll give him enough time to organize his thoughts and plan a script in his head for exactly what he wants to say. He's also thankful that he'll have Dohyon to distract him if need be.

But when Seungyoun opens the door to let him in, Hangyul doesn't see or hear the toddler anywhere in the apartment.

"Hey," he greets the other as he pulls off his coat, glancing around the room, "is Dohyon taking a nap or something?"

"Hey!" When they make eye contact, he notices that Seungyoun looks uncomfortable. He's shifting his weight from one foot to the other, wearing a (unfairly adorable) pout. "Uh, no," he clears his throat, "my mom actually took him to go see a movie. Some kind of cartoon he's been talking about for the last week."

"Oh…" Hangyul doesn't mind waiting around for Dohyon to get back, but he's a little confused as to why Seungyoun didn't mention the plans earlier. It would have been nice to know that he could've come a little later. "Do you know when they'll be home?"

"Not for another hour, at least," Seungyoun says it as nonchalantly as possible, like it isn't a big deal.

Hangyul tries to laugh it off, but he's feeling perplexed by the situation. "You should have told me that you had a change in plans. I wouldn’t mind coming later if you needed me to."

The other's face contorts into an expression that shouldn't look as handsome as it does—something akin to a grimace of pain. He hesitates for a moment before he admits, "I didn't actually need your help with Dohyon today. That was just an excuse to invite you over."

The confusion that's been building tips over the edge, leaving Hangyul completely lost. He blinks, "Why would you do that?"

"Because you were avoiding me."

"What?" Hangyul forces out another laugh that sounds fake to his own ears, his voice rising in pitch to imitate surprise. He didn't think Seungyoun had actually noticed that. "I haven't been avoiding you!"

"Really?" Seungyoun's face shifts to level him with an incredulous look, "Because you've barely spoken to me lately. And then you lied when I asked you to babysit last week."

Maybe the brilliant excuse he came up with on the spot is less brilliant than he thought at the time. Still, he tries to keep up his shocked facade, "I did _not_ lie!"

"Hangyul, you told me you were too busy painting your closet. And when I asked what color you were painting it, you tripped over your words for fifteen seconds before saying it was glow in the dark paint." This must be the no-bullshit tone he uses with Dohyon—it's very effective.

Okay, it definitely wasn't as brilliant as he thought, but in his defense, he's a horrible liar under pressure.

He should probably abandon ship before it sinks, but his pride tells him to keep arguing, "What's wrong with a glow in the dark closet? It sounds pretty badass to me!"

"I bet it would be badass… you know, if you actually did it," Seungyoun counters.

Hangyul doesn't want to admit that he was lying to get out of babysitting, even if it's clear that Seungyoun can see right through him, so he decides to change the subject instead. "Why did you invite me over if you don't need me to babysit, hyung? If you thought I was ignoring you, you could have just said something."

"Yeah, but I think we need to actually sit down and talk," Seungyoun speaks carefully, like he's worried Hangyul will leave if he doesn't say the right thing. "We can't do that at the daycare. So I asked you to come over and I made it sound important so you wouldn't turn me down."

"So we both lied."

Seungyoun nods in agreement, "We both lied. I guess that makes us even."

Hangyul sighs in defeat, "Alright, fine. I can live with that."

They stand still for a moment, just sizing each other up as the awkward tension in the air thickens. Hangyul considers grabbing his coat and running for the hills, but that would only delay the conversation that he knows they need to have. He was already preparing himself for it, so having it a little sooner than planned can't hurt.

After too many seconds have passed, Seungyoun gestures toward the couch, "You can sit down. Do you want something to drink? Keep in mind that we mostly just have water, juice, and chocolate milk."

Making his way toward the couch, Hangyul notes that the living room is the cleanest he's ever seen it. It must have something to do with Dohyon's absence in the apartment. He plops down on the cushion unceremoniously, too nervous to focus on being polite. The offer of chocolate milk is tempting, but he's trying to be an adult about this situation, and sipping on chocolate milk doesn't seem very mature to him. "I'm fine, thank you."

Seungyoun hovers for a moment, clearly hesitant for some reason or another. It makes Hangyul feel a little better to know that he's not the only one who's anxious. Once he takes a seat on the other end of the couch, he gives Hangyul a very unnatural smile, "Okay, so I'm just gonna come out and say it."

Despite his words, he doesn't continue right away. He waits for Hangyul to nod before taking a shaky breath and spitting out what’s on his mind. "I wanted to apologize for trying to kiss you. At the time, it felt right, but when you left, I realized how inappropriate it was. The last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable, and I know you said you weren't, but it was wrong of me to do it anyway."

Most of what the man has to say goes in one ear and out the other, because all Hangyul's brain can focus on is the fact that he was right all along. It wasn't some kind of cruel self-deception, or an illusion his mind came up with to give him false hope. But he still feels the need to clarify, just in case his ears are playing tricks on him instead.

"Wait," he breathes out, trying to catch up with what Seungyoun told him. "So you _were_ trying to kiss me?"

The question must embarrass the older man, whose cheeks color a pretty pink in response, "Well, yeah. Was that not obvious?"

It was obvious. Hangyul was just so panicked about the encounter that he managed to talk himself out of believing it. He knows now that Seungyoun really was trying to kiss him that day, and the conformation sends enough blood rushing to his head to make him dizzy.

He almost wants to celebrate this new information, but the memory of Seungyoun cuddling up with Wooseok quickly chases that urge away. He shouldn't be happy about this, not when the other is dating someone else. In fact, this should probably make the situation even _worse_, no matter how light his heart suddenly feels.

"You're right," Hangyul forces the words out with a frown, "you shouldn't have done that."

Seungyoun's posture deflates like a sad balloon, almost like he's disappointed that Hangyul agrees with him. "I know. I guess I just read the situation wrong. And then you started avoiding me, and I realized that I fucked up, and I was so worried that you hated me or you wouldn't want to babysit anymore or it would be awkward at daycare—," He has to cut himself off to suck in a deep inhale, having run out of air as he tried to explain himself. "I mean, you're Dohyon's _teacher_, I shouldn't be doing shit like that."

It seems like the other is prepared to continue rambling on, so Hangyul forces him to pause as he interjects, "I don't hate you, hyung." He wants to say so much more, but that feels the most important right now. He's already come to the conclusion that he could never hate Seungyoun, so he might as well reassure the man.

That simple sentence must relieve some of the weight from Seungyoun's shoulders, as his demeanor brightens just the smallest amount. He sighs, "That's good. I don't think I would be able to handle it if you did. Dohyon would be crushed too."

For some reason, that information hits harder than he thought it would. His mind is brought right back to the boy's drawing of his family—distancing himself from the two of them over this would just be cruel. Surely they can set their emotions aside, even if it's solely for Dohyon's sake.

"I understand that my situation isn't… _ideal_. If I were you, I wouldn't want to be with a parent either," Seungyoun's gaze drops down to his lap, almost mumbling to himself at this point. "It comes with a lot of baggage, and you're still young. You shouldn't have to be introduced to that kind of responsibility just because I think you're cute, you know? I was being selfish, not just toward you, but Dohyon too. I wasn't even thinking about how it could affect him."

This is where he loses Hangyul, who is now realizing that they aren't on the same page anymore. They both agree that a kiss shouldn't have happened, that it was inappropriate considering their set of circumstances. They acknowledge that it's bad for Dohyon to get wrapped up in something like this just because the adults in his life can't get their shit together. And they both seem to want to move on from this and return to their previous, completely platonic dynamic. But their reasoning behind each of these points is clearly different.

"I'm not uncomfortable because you're a parent," Hangyul spits out without much thought. He's a bit offended that the other would even think such a thing. "I love Dohyon… more than any other kid I know, if I'm being honest. Being a part of his life is an honor. The fact that he even thinks of me as a small part of his family—," a fire is lit in his throat, aching with the power of his emotions and causing a crack in his voice. He's getting worked up now, and that's the last thing Hangyul wants to do in front of him.

Seungyoun takes his abrupt stop as an opportunity to point toward their wall of photographs, "I framed his drawing."

Sure enough, when Hangyul directs his gaze toward the wall, he finds a new addition to the collection. It feels wrong to know that his portrait is hanging in their apartment, as crudely drawn as it may be. Seeing his own handwriting on display makes his stomach twist uncomfortably.

His voice feels rough when he turns back to the conversation, "I would never, _ever_ view Dohyon as baggage. He's very precious to me." It's important that he emphasizes this as much as possible—he wants to drill it into the other's head.

This must be where he loses Seungyoun in turn. His face contorts into an expression of pure confusion; the twisting gears in his head are almost visible if he looks hard enough. Seconds tick by as he gathers his thoughts, and Hangyul waits patiently for him to come up with a reply.

"I don't understand. If you aren't upset by it because I'm a dad… then why _are_ you upset about it?" As if he realizes how egotistical that could sound, he adds, "I mean, I thought you liked me too. Did I seriously misinterpret everything?"

Seungyoun might just be really good at playing dumb, but his bemusement appears to be genuine. It only serves to confuse Hangyul even further. Two grown adults sitting around looking like a pair of lost puppies must be an amusing sight.

(It also comes as a surprise that Seungyoun had picked up on his crush, but he supposes he was never very subtle about it.)

"You didn't misread it," he admits reluctantly. "But I saw you with Wooseok, and I just—," Hangyul waves his hands in their air, hoping it explains his reasoning without having to actually say it.

A dramatic groan suggests that Seungyoun could connect the dots. He drops his head into his hands, "_Fuck_! He told me I acted like an idiot, but I thought he was exaggerating!"

Hangyul doesn't know what that's supposed to mean or what it has to do with Seungyoun's relationship, so he just stays silent, watching the other as he regains his composure.

"I really didn't mean to drink that much, I swear," his voice is filled with dread, like this is the worst thing that's ever happened to him. "I was just so nervous to talk to you!"

"You were drinking because of me?" Hangyul's eyebrows knit together similarly to how his brain is trying to knit together what the other is telling him.

Finally, he lifts his head to show off a devastated pout, "Yeah… but it didn't even work! When we got home, I was still just as anxious, but I couldn't even stand up on my own. I should've just talked to you like a normal human being."

The way Seungyoun is whining reminds him of how Dohyon behaves when he's distraught. The only difference is that one is a toddler who's prone to throwing fits, and the other is a grown man trying to have a mature conversation. It's utterly ridiculous.

(He refuses to admit it, but he finds it endearing anyway.)

He's starting to get annoyed, unable to follow Seungyoun's train of thought or why any of this is important to him. Hangyul really couldn't care less about why he got drunk, or even that he was drunk in the first place. He just wants to clear the air so they can forget all of this and start over again.

"Okay, stop," he huffs, shifting in his seat so he can face the other head-on. "I don't actually care that you were drinking. I care about Wooseok and the way you were cuddled up to him and whispering in his ear and giggling like a schoolgirl."

The filter Hangyul has kept to stop all of his thoughts from leaving his mouth is now obsolete, his words pouring out in a rush of emotions. The most intense emotion is jealousy, he can recognize that by the painful drop of his stomach that accompanies his explanation. It's not his place to be jealous, he knows this, but months of pent up frustration are finally coming to a head, and he has little control over it.

Seungyoun opens his mouth to speak, but he doesn't give him the chance.

"I was really happy when you tried to kiss me. Like, so happy that I convinced myself that it didn't actually happen, because it felt too good to be true. But when I was ready to finally talk to you about it and how I feel, you just— you completely brushed me off. And then you came home, hanging all over this beautiful guy, and it _hurt_," Hangyul has to pause as a burning sensation begins to build behind his eyes.

He's getting worked up, and he wonders if it's dumb for him to feel so passionately about this. But then he remembers the feeling he experienced when Dohyon drew the picture; that feeling of finding a new family that he desperately wants to be a part of. Losing a sense of security that had only just been built up is painful, so the strong emotions twisting in his gut feel justified.

"I'm willing to forgive a lot, because I like you, and I genuinely love Dohyon. But I'm not going to act like I don't know you're in a relationship just to make myself feel better." As he finishes his rant, he rubs at his eye. He refuses to cry in front of the man, no matter how much he wants to. He won't curl up in a defensive ball either—he can do that when he gets home.

A wide range of reactions flit across Seungyoun's face, so quickly that it's impossible to pin any of them down. It eventually settles on something that he thinks resembles pity, or maybe even regret. "Alright, I understand now. And I'm a fucking idiot for not realizing it sooner."

His throat hurts, stopping him from verbally agreeing with that sentiment. Hangyul settles for a nod instead.

Seungyoun shifts in his seat, turning his body to face the other completely. When he speaks, it comes out slowly, "I know this is gonna sound like a lie, but I am _not_ dating Wooseok. He's my best friend, and I know I can be clingy toward him, but I have never dated him. I've never even thought about dating him." There's a sincerity in his voice, in his gaze, that makes it hard not to believe him, but Hangyul doesn't let his guard down just yet.

As if sensing the younger's reluctance, Seungyoun reaches out to grab hold of his hand. It's awkward, and Hangyul wants to pull away, but his heart refuses to let go. It wants to hold on to this tiny victory for as long as he's allowed to.

"If I'm being honest, I haven't wanted to date since I found out about the pregnancy. My whole world shifted when Dohyon was born, and I haven't even considered splitting my attention between him and someone else," he gives the hand in his a gentle squeeze. "Well, until you came into the picture."

Those words, as simple as they are, bring out a whole new wave of emotions, crashing down on him as foam begins to bubble underneath his ribcage. He feels dizzy and warm and so, so overwhelmed, but the smaller hand holding on to him is what keeps him grounded.

He frowns, mirroring the pout that Seungyoun was wearing just minutes before, "But… I heard you whispering to him."

"Yeah, whispering about _you_. He said I spent the whole time talking about how cute you are, and he was convinced that I made you uncomfortable," Seungyoun explains, wearing a patient smile despite his obvious desperation to clear everything up. "And I guess I did, but in a different way. I'm really sorry."

His brain is telling him that it isn't true—that familiar sense of doubt trickling in and spoiling what should be a happy moment. Hangyul has learned lately that his mind likes to do that a lot, putting a negative spin on everything involving Seungyoun, but he wants to break that habit.

Yohan had asked him why he would let something stupid get in the way of his happiness. What he should really be asking himself is much more general: why would he let anything get in the way of his happiness?

He deserves it just as much as the next guy, and if Seungyoun and Dohyon are the key to a happy life, then there really isn't a single good reason why he should turn his back on that—especially not when Seungyoun is explaining away all of his worries and offering that happiness to him with such a kind smile. Now that he’s admitted this to himself, he just needs to calm down and give both himself and Seungoyun a chance.

Hangyul's gaze drops down to their hands, face flushing when he realizes how easily the older's fits in his. It makes him smile despite the storm that's been brewing inside his head. "Your hands are so tiny," he marvels, holding them up to get a better look. "Little baby hands, just like Dohyon."

"Hey! They're not that small!" Seungyoun gasps, trying to sound indignant but mostly coming across as amused. Even with the teasing, he still doesn't loosen his grip in the slightest.

"They're pretty small," he chuckles lightly, dropping their hands back down on his lap. The room goes quiet again, seconds passing by as Hangyul tries to turn his whirlwind of thoughts into a coherent sentence. "I'm sorry for avoiding you. Like I said, I thought it was too good to be true. And I've never been the best at talking about my feelings."

The other traces his thumb across the back of Hangyul's hand, giving a thoughtful hum, "It's okay, I understand… but now that we're talking about it, what _are_ you feeling?"

"Nervous," is the first word that comes to mind. His heartbeat picks up speed, pounding against his chest almost painfully. "And excited. Maybe a little confused, too."

"Okay, we're finally on the same page,” Seungyoun chuckles, “although, I’m feeling a little hopeful too.” He pauses to inhale, then exhale, probably to try and settle his own nerves. The look in his eyes shifts, almost pleading as he asks, "Should I feel hopeful?"

There's something so genuine about the way he's looking at Hangyul. It does something funny to his insides, turning the swirl of anxiety into something warm and fuzzy. It makes him want to let go of his worries and just give in, to finally let himself have what he's been dreaming of for months. It brings him back to their initial conversations on the playground, when the father and son would get so wrapped up in each other, it made him feel like an outsider intruding on something special. He wants so desperately to be a part of that connection, even if he may never have as strong a bond with them as the pair share with each other.

He already loves Dohyon. With time, he thinks he could love Seungyoun too. He just needs to give himself a chance and _try_.

So try he does.

"Very hopeful," he whispers shyly. Leaning in toward the center of the couch, they mirror their positions from just a couple of weeks prior. But this time around, there's no toddler running down the hall to interrupt them, and Hangyul has no doubt in his mind of what's about to happen. Seungyoun catches on quickly and meets him in the middle.

It starts out simple, just a tentative press of their lips to test the waters. It quickly shifts to something more though, morphing into a kiss that's long and breathless and fueled by a yearning that Hangyul hasn't experienced before. Their hands finally come apart, if only to pull their bodies closer together. A hand roams across the expanse of his back, and his own end up tangled in Seungyoun's hair—he didn't realize how long it's grown in the last month or so, but he appreciates that there's more than enough length to twirls between his fingers. They melt into each other, fitting together like a puzzle. The kiss is everything he could have hoped for and more, and neither of them are willing to part until absolutely necessary.

Eventually, Hangyul is forced to pull away, lightheaded from both the other's presence and a lack of oxygen to his brain. They both take a moment to just breathe and appreciate what’s transpired, taking it all in. Unfortunately, the distance between them doesn’t do much to help him relax, because the moment they pull apart, Seungyoun gives him the biggest, warmest smile that turns his insides to mush. He quickly learns that he loves having that smile directed toward him.

"Dohyon is gonna be _ecstatic_ about this."

Hangyul's heart skips a beat. He's so focused on the fact that they're finally getting together, he has yet to consider how the toddler might react to it. Having your parent date someone new must be confusing for a child, but it's reassuring to know that Seungyoun already has faith that he'll be happy about it. "What makes you think that?"

The other looks entirely too amused when he answers, "He's been dropping a lot of hints lately. Just yesterday, he was telling me all about how cool it would be to have two dads."

_Two dads_.

The thought of becoming a parent makes his heart stop. He isn't upset with the concept of becoming a father figure to Dohyon, but they've barely even started their relationship yet—or even discussed a relationship, for that matter. All they've done is kiss. They haven't even gone on a date yet. He isn't ready to be a dad!

Seungyoun reads his mind (or maybe there's evident panic written all over his face), and quickly jumps in to alleviate his growing hysteria, "Not that you need to be his dad! We don't even have to tell him yet! I'm fine with taking things slow and testing the waters. Whatever you want, we’ll do."

Hangyul releases a shaky breath and nods, the butterflies in his stomach calming down, "Okay. Slow is good."

The other is grinning again, looking at him like he's something precious, something that needs to be protected. Hangyul isn't used to having someone else look after him. He's always been independent, even as a child, so it's a surprise to find that he wouldn't actually mind having Seungyoun take care of him. For the last few months, he’s wanted to become a person that the single father could depend on. Now he's beginning to realize that it's a two-way street; if he wants Seungyoun to lean on him, he needs to be willing to do the same.

The idea of it warms his heart, as well as his cheeks.

A hurried banging on the door pulls the pair out of the little bubble that's formed around them, abruptly pulling them back to reality. It sounds like two tiny fists are trying to punch the door open, which could only mean one thing. They finally separate themselves, Hangyul sliding back to his side of the couch while Seungyoun stands up and quickly attempts to tidy his now tousled hair.

Just a few seconds later, the front door is unlocked, and a very excited child is sent running into the apartment. Dohyon is already talking a mile a minute about the movie he just watched, although most of his words are coming out as unintelligible blabber. From behind him, Seungyoun's mother steps into view. She doesn't say anything, but the knowing smile she gives Hangyul tells him that she sees right through them.

It takes almost a full minute before Dohyon realizes that they have company. The moment he makes eye contact with his teacher, he squeals. He takes a running start before launching himself into the man's lap, "Teacher Gyul!"

The boy's little hands cup Hangyul's cheeks, reminding him of Seungyoun's hands and making him chuckle. As Dohyon restarts his enthusiastic explanation of the movie (as if the man wasn't in the room the whole time and missed it the first time around), he hears the other two adults laughing in amusement.

By the time Dohyon wraps up his story, only Seungyoun is left, his mother having slipped out before the child had the chance to protest. He doesn't even notice her absence, too excited that they have an unexpected guest. He wastes no time before he turns to beg Seungyoun to let Hangyul to spend the night again.

The other man gives him a look, silently conveying the message that it's completely up to him, but they both know by now that Hangyul is too weak-willed when it comes to Dohyon. He can't say no, not when the toddler is in his lap, staring him down with the biggest puppy-dog eyes. So he accepts, claiming that a sleepover is a great way for them to celebrate.

"Celebrate?" Dohyon echoes, his gaze traveling back and forth between the adults like he's watching a tennis match. His kid brain tries to make sense of it, and comes to the most obvious conclusion, "It's my birthday?"

Seungyoun laughs—the kind of laugh that only a dad can manage—and shakes his head, "No, baby. It's not your birthday yet. But we can have a sleepover party anyway."

The toddler screeches again and wiggles out of Hangyul's lap, unable to contain the excitement in his tiny body. He takes off down the hall, yelling about finding all of his favorite toys so they can play before dinner.

Clearly taking advantage of his momentary absence, Seungyoun leans down to capture Hangyul's lips in one more kiss. It's soft and sweet, exactly the type of kiss he's been daydreaming about for months, and it sends shivers of anticipation down his spine.

Anticipation for more kisses, for more sleepovers, for more of Seungyoun and Dohyon and everything about them that makes him so happy.

"You don't have to sleep in the racecar bed this time," the man mutters, giving him a cheeky wink before he pulls away to go check on his kid.

A few hours later, Hangyul finds himself curled up on one side of Seungyoun's mattress, creating a sandwich with Dohyon sprawled out like a starfish between them. As he listens to the symphony of snores coming from the father and son, his mind drifts back to the wall of photographs in the living room.

He remembers looking at that wall the first time he came over, wishing desperately for the opportunity to learn about all of the memories confined in each picture frame. Fast-forward just a couple of months and he's become one of the memories hanging on display. Maybe it's just a child's drawing for now, but he has faith that his actual portrait will be added in time.

Dohyon rolls over in his sleep, accidentally slapping Hangyul in the face and pulling him back to the present. It startles a laugh out of him, bubbling up from his chest before he has the chance to stop it. From the other side of the bed, he hears an amused snort, and realizes that one of the sets of snoring has stopped.

When he looks over the toddler's head, he finds Seungyoun staring back at him with a sleepy smile. Even in the low lighting of the bedroom, he thinks he spots a distinct sparkle in the man's eyes. He wonders if that same sparkle is reflected in his own gaze. Judging by the way the other's expression softens into the picture of fondness, he's willing to bet that it is.

Seungyoun's arm moves to wrap around Dohyon's frame. He takes that opportunity to grab hold of Hangyul's hand, giving it another one of those comforting squeezes before he closes his eyes to fall back asleep.

Holding on to that hand like an anchor, Hangyul curls closer to the toddler's sleeping body and snuggles up to the heat radiating off of him like a furnace. With a content sigh, the man begins drifting off to sleep, and the last thought he can remember having is:

_I could really get used to this_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the end!
> 
> thank you to everyone who's been keeping up with this story, leaving comments and kudos, and letting me know just how much you've enjoyed it. it really means the world to me that a story i had so much fun writing was just as fun for everyone else!
> 
> i may have an idea for a sequel in the future, but for now, i think i'm going to try working on something new. please let me know if that's something you guys would be interested in, though!

**Author's Note:**

> chonamgyul is one of my favorite dynamics, so i decided to write a completely self-indulgent story for them.
> 
> i've had a lot of fun writing this~ i'm excited to see what everyone thinks, so please let me know!
> 
> if you want, you can find me on twitter @guanwoozi


End file.
